Celebrate the international nature of Hampton Roads with a classic from Chile or Peru: pisco. A potent pale-colored brandy, pisco is the South American take on classic Spanish wines. Grapes introduced by Spanish conquistadors that didn’t make it in traditional wines were fermented by the natives as pisco, now produced in four varieties based on the source grapes. The two most popular types are “puro” and “acholado,” but they are all good and interchangeable. The beverage is popular neat or in a classic pisco sour* but variations such as these are gaining passionate followers:
pisco.jpgEl Chilcano
- 4 oz. ginger ale
- 2 oz. pisco
- 1/2 lime (or 1 tablespoon key lime juice)
Fill a 8 oz. tumbler with ice cubes; add pisco and a squeeze of lime. Fill remainder with ginger ale.
Vianef Shot
- 1 oz. of pisco
- 1 oz. of Drambuie™
- 1/4 oz. of Campari™
- 1/4 oz. lime juice
Combine and chill all ingredients.
Cocoloco Flip
- 1 ½ oz. pisco
- 1 oz. banana cream
- 1 oz. coconut liquor
- 2 oz. pineapple juice
Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Pour chilled drink into a rocks glass and garnish with a cherry
Classic Pisco Sour
- 3 oz. pisco
- 1 oz. simple syrup
- 1 oz. key lime juice
- 1 egg white
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Pour chilled drink and top foam with 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters.
