Other drinks

The bird of happiness
«Gastronom» №6 (89) June 2009

At times we make friends in unexpected places.

Discovering pisco was one of those stories for me. It is a spirit from Peru, but I first tasted it in Spain. Peruvians understand that it is not easy to get to their country and bring their national drink to Europe.

My first experience with pisco was in Madrid at the gastronomic forum Madrid Fusion. Everybody was treated to spectacular Pisco Sour at the Peruvian stand. At hectic events like this it tastes like a gulp of fresh air — refreshing, invigorating and setting you in a good mood. The visitors of the stand were content and Peruvians were happy that their place was always busy.

Pisco is the most popular drink in Peru. Its production is strictly protected, similar to that of Cognac and Armagnac in France. Vineyards grow in specially designated areas, and technological processes have to meet certain rules.

Pisco differs from other spirits by the method it is produced. Freshly fermented, clean wine without skins and pips is used. It is distilled once to get an aromatic liquid with 43% proof. That’s all, really. Other spirits are made by double or triple distillation and then diluted with water to decrease alcoholic strength. It is strictly forbidden to add water to pisco or to change its colour and structure. No oak barrels, no aromatisers, even if they are natural.

Why is it possible to make pisco just after one distillation? The answer is found in the vineyards. They stretch along the Pacific coast from Lima, the capital, down to the border with Chile. One should think that the ocean tempers coastal climate, but it is not exactly so. Due to cold currents water doesn’t evaporate well, and it hardly rains. This area is a real desert. The sun shines directly above your head at noon, heating the ground more than in other places. Grapes accumulate lots of sugar which is during fermentation transformed into wine with a high alcoholic strength.

Pisco production is clear. Now its taste. If drunk for the first time, pisco can be confused with grappa. Both are clear and aromatic. Yet the difference between pisco and grappa is approximately the same like between Peruvian and Italian potatoes. If you taste both, you will never say that they are identical.

Pisco production involves eight grape varieties, and pisco maker can use them at his discretion. He can make ‘puro’, or monovarietal drink, or mix several grapes to get ‘acholado’. Puro shows merits of a specific variety. Each grape is different, but for the ease of understanding they are divided in two broad groups. One is described by ‘dry’ aromas — straw, banana skins, chocolate, and powerful body. The other features a bouquet of flowers, fruit and spices, from roses to jasmine, from litchis to strawberries, from vanilla to cinnamon. Acholado is distinguished by complex aromas and flavours, especially if grapes are blended from different groups.

Peruvians don’t stop here and produce one more pisco called ‘mosto verde’ which is the most expensive. It takes a double amount of grapes to make a bottle of mosto verde in comparison with a normal pisco. The difference is that sweet fermenting must is distilled instead of dry wine. The sweetness is not transferred from must to spirit, but it helps make a beverage with rich, almost velvety texture and opulent yet rounded taste.

How to drink pisco? Johnny Schuler, the one who mixes cocktails in Madrid, is in fact a major pisco authority in his country. He honestly admits that Peruvians drink pisco any time of the day. If it’s a good brand, the drink can be served straight. Less prestigious labels are used for cocktails. Pisco Sour is the most famous. It is easy to make: put 3 parts of pisco, one part each lime juice and sugar, ice and an egg white in a blender, mix well. Pour in a small glass, putting a few drops of bitter on the foam.

Pure pisco is normally drunk at room temperature to enjoy aromas. Johnny created a special glass which resembles a glass for grappa. It is small, diamond-shaped, with narrow opening. It is specially designed to highlight pisco aromas. Yet there is no crime in serving chilled pisco to hide alcoholic warmth. Pure pisco can be served during the meal, but our Peruvian expert recommends something different. “Drink Pisco Sour or other pisco-based cocktails for an aperitif, wine with food and pure pisco as a digestive. In pisco, like in a good brandy, aromas bring most enjoyment. Pisco is made for conversation and friendship”, says Johnny, and he is certainly right.

***
There is a long-standing argument between Peru and Chile about which beverage should be called pisco. The word is of Peruvian origin. It means a small bird in the Quechua language, spoken by native Indians. Before the Spanish conquest Indians made fermented low alcohol chicha from maize. In the 16th century Spanish brought vines and taught Indians to make and distil wine. The distillate was kept in jugs formerly used for chicha, and both the vessels and the beverage was called pisco. In late 19th century during the war between Chile and Peru Chileans tasted pisco and started to use this name for their own spirit. At present Chile produces much more pisco than Peru, but with a different technology. Chilean pisco is diluted with water to decrease alcoholic strength and is aged in wooden barrels.