In the land of Pisco cheap Pisco?
I was in a supermarket buying Pisco when I heard someone behind me say, "Please give me a cheap Pisco! I have a gathering at my house." At that moment, I felt goosebumps on my skin. Cheap Pisco? Where can you find cheap Pisco? I imagined being one of the guests at this man's house, being offered a Pisco Sour or a Chilcano made with cheap Pisco, while... he had acquired the most expensive whiskeys. When will we stop underestimating a unique product in the world like our Pisco? It's incredible that even with the efforts of vine growers, producers, engineers, oenologists, sommeliers, bartenders, tasters, we still think that Pisco has to be cheap. Let's do the math: approximately 7 kilos of grapes per liter, around S/.2.00 per kg. That's S/.14.00 (1US$. = S/.3.70.- exchange rate $ x S/.), plus the bottle, label, cap, box, administrative expenses, marketing, taxes, etc. In conclusion, there's no cheap Pisco.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with the great bartender Hans Hilburg. He told me a pisco producer had called him to tell him, they were launching a new brand of Pisco for cocktails. Hans, who never minces his words, replied, "What do you mean, for cocktails? The cheapest one for cocktails???" The producer had no other response but to apologize; he had misunderstood. Another example of how we underestimate our flagship product. Who knows, maybe that wasn't the message, but for Hans, it was clear: we make a different kind of Pisco for cocktails. A very big hug to Hans!
And speaking of this, let me tell you what happened to me during a tasting I held for bilingual foreigners. At one point, I said, "Pisco isn't meant to be taken like tequila in shots, but with little sips." Three Mexicans interrupted me, "Where did you get that idea? Maybe it's the cheapest tequila, but that's not true." I blushed. I had the idea that tequila was meant to be drunk in one go, but that's not the case, as my Mexican friends explained. You savor it like Pisco. I had to apologize for my ignorance on the subject, but what surprised me the most was their defense of their national product and their explanation to all of us on how tequila & mescal should be enjoyed. You always learn something new.
These are just examples that happen every day, not only to me but to many Pisco enthusiasts. We hear or read "our national liquor" when Pisco is not a liquor but a distilled spirit, a firewater, an eau de vie, or a spirit, (destilado, aguardiente, espirituoso, agua de vida). Or when we say "Peruvian Pisco," it should just be Pisco, nothing else. Moreover, we see bottles of Pisco macerated in fruits, herbs, or infusions, with front labels stating: "made with Pisco Mosto Verde Quebranta macerated or infused with maca." No, gentlemen! That information should be on the back label at most, maca infused in Pisco. Let's put some order. Enjoy Pisco responsibly.
By Livio Pastorino Wagner
Sommelier, Specialist, and Pisco Taster
Registration: CRDO-PISCO 2020 RCO-034-2011
@elmagozurdo
Cocktail Magazine No. 28 february 19, 2019.
Cocktail magazine (spanish) in issuu
Pisco & music
February 2019
Where pisco is the only protagonist!
#lapiscoteca #piscosour #winelover #pisco #pasionporlacata #bar #elpiscoesdelperu #vino #vinosdelperu #pisco #piscolover #Lima #Peru @Piscorevista @elpiscoesdlperu @elmagozurdo @aspercat1 #Moquegua #Tacna #Arequipa #Ica
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