Pisco: a story to tell
Placeres Magazine, Edition No. 1, grateful for the opportunity.
"The dark-skinned man could be heard saying, 'Watercress water!, snow water!, fortunes!' as he walked around the bullring offering the grape spirit 'caleta' (sneaky, in secret)." It was prohibited to sell pisco in the bullring due to constant disturbances and fights. It was said that the concoctions made with pisco sold under the name of "punche" were so laden with the spirit that they could knock down an entire town (El Pisco: Una Declaración de Amor al Perú, by Luciano Revoredo, 2011).
There will always be a story behind a distilled spirit. Have no doubt about it. "Here comes Doctor Panchito!", "And I'll give a chicken for half!" (Luciano Revoredo, 2011). These expressions were used by pisco makers to indicate that pisco and butifarra (butifarra sandwich, slices of savory "jamon del país", Peruvian country-style seasoned ham, sweet onion relish called "salsa criolla", creole sauce, served on rosetta bread, a round roll with a flower-like appearance or French bread rolls), would be essential elements to enjoy the party. I am convinced that one must know these stories and spread them for when gathering with family and friends to taste pisco. Each person brings the best from their collection. These stories emerge in the pisquera gatherings that are part of the world of our national spirit.
Another charming story is "the eleven", which refers to the number of letters that make up the word aguardiente. During colonial times, every day at eleven in the morning,
work stopped to have "the eleven", a code that meant going to drink a pisco and, in passing, have a snack: a butifarra or another good accompaniment. Remember that you should take a sip and have a bite, or have a bite and take a sip. Pisco and salty dishes can be combined, but following that order.
Pure pisco is an excellent appetizer just like the Pisco Sour. In the past, it was not accompanied by desserts but by salty foods, before lunch as an appetizer and afterwards as a digestive; in addition to butifarras, criolla sauce, olives, and onions. Likewise, you can complement it with some snacks like cancha corn, nuts, or toasted pecans with a pinch of salt. It's excellent! Similarly, it goes well with desserts.
The less aromatic ones pair well with desserts like nuts: pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, as well as chocolate, lucuma, cakes, apple pie, or peach. On the other hand, the aromatic ones are ideal for lemon mousse, passion fruit, "suspiro a la limeña", "sigh of Lima", citrus fruit bavarois, and orange cakes.
Pisco is a noble and versatile spirit. It is not elitist. I remember that every year, when July arrived, we hired a team of pruners. Many of them were not from Ica, however, they handled the scissors like expert vineyard workers. I think they had it in their blood, as if they were born among the vines. Besides their wages for all the work, they requested a porrón of pisco (4 liters). "To work better!", they said; besides paying homage to Mother Earth (Pachamama). I was the one who gave the order to start the pruning work: a few drops for the land, the rest for the body, and that's how it began. Cheers! Always with responsibility.
By Livio Pastorino Wagner
Sommelier, Specialist, and Pisco Taster
Registration: CRDO-PISCO 2020 RCO-034-2011
@elmagozurdo
Placeres Magazine No. 1, march 05, 2024.
Placeres Magazine in issuu
Placeres Gourmet en issuu
Pisco & music
March 2024.
Where pisco is the only protagonist!
#lapiscoteca #piscosour #winelover #pisco #pasionporlacata #bar #elpiscoesdelperu #vino #vinosdelperu #pisco #piscolover #Lima #Peru #Moquegua #Tacna #Arequipa #Ica
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