Pisco
Pisco is a distinct style of brandy which is made in the wine-growing regions of Peru and Chile. It’s made like brandy, by distilling wine. Its origins go back to the arrival of Spanish settlers in the 16th and 17th centuries, who brought with them their brandy-making skills. The name Pisco is drawn from a Peruvian port, through which the spirit was exported back to Spain. There are varying types of pisco, as the regulations for distilling pisco in Peru and Chile are different, and within those regulations there are many factors which influence the end product. Piscos from different regions will taste differently depending on the grapes used in its production. The most common way that pisco is consumed is the classic Pisco Sour cocktail, which combines pisco with egg white, lime juice, and simple syrup. The Peruvian recipe also adds bitters, but the Chilean recipe doesn’t (should you wish to show off to the barman).
Top Pisco Posts:
Pisco 101 with Duggan McDonnell
Pisco Porton
Macchu Pisco
Campo de Encanto Pisco Grand & Noble Acholado
Suyo Pisco No. 1 is a new Peruvian pisco made entirely from Quebranta grapes drawn from the Mala Valley. Its claim of “single origin” isn’t absolutely clear since the grapes are purchased from a variety of vineyards, but they all seem to be drawn from this one district in Lima, Peru. The brand was introduced…
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For roughly a decade, there has been talk of a Pisco revival as this distinctive grape distillate made in Peru and Chile has slowly become more available in the U.S. Recently, Piscologica introduced a Pisco certificate course that focuses on Peruvian Pisco, to educate discriminating drinkers about this appellation of origin spirit. We have detailed…
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Catan is a new pisco brand that arrived in late 2018, exclusively launching in Chicago. A Chilean variety of the spirit, it is the brainchild of Catalina Gaete, who oversees its production from organic Pedro Ximénez grapes in Ovalle, Chile. It’s one of the more easygoing piscos I’ve encountered to date, offering a nose that…
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In our recent review of Charbay’s Double Aged Rum, reader Taylor Fox inquired as to the point of the first round of that double aging. The rum spends five years in stainless steel tanks, then three years in oak barrels. Well, what’s the point of that? We’ve long been told that stainless steel tanks are…
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“Claret is liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy.” – Samuel Johnson So you understand what different kinds of whiskey are called and why, and you can name the aromatics used in gin without a second thought, but brandy is still a spirit that eludes…
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The story goes that when Steven Soderbergh was shooting the movie Che in Bolivia, he tasted a traditional Bolivian spirit and fell in love with it. So much so that he decided to import it into the U.S. and market it on our shores. What’s Singani 63? Distilled from Muscat of Alexandria grapes, it is classified…
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La Caravedo is a new pisco from Pisco Porton, a puro bottling made only from quebranta grapes. The nose is classic pisco, offering a restrained take on the spirit that brings forth notes of quince, evergreen, and modest underpinnings of rubber and petrol (again, classic pisco stuff). The palate offers a nice balance of flavors — strong…
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Did you know that America has a national day dedicated to the national cocktail of… Peru? We do, and it’s this Saturday (February 7)! For anyone here not Pisco savvy or Peruvian, we’ve got a whole backlog of Pisco profiles for your perusal, but here’s a recipe to get you started on your way to…
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Waqar! Waqoff! Sorry. Pisco, essentially an unaged brandy, has been fueled by the revival of the Pisco Sour and a few other piscoriffic cocktails. But Chilean pisco is something of a rarity in a day and age where Peruvian pisco rules the market. Waqar is produced from muscat grapes grown at the foot of the…
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Pisco is a spirit on the rise, and Peru’s BarSol makes a huge range of them — seven varieties at present. Below we look at two single-grape varieties, a quebranta and an italia, which are probably the two most common pisco grapes grown. Thoughts on each follow. Both are 80 proof. BarSol Primero Quebranta Pisco…
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