Image via Complex Original
After so many trips to the bar, you must feel like you've got a handle on the major spirits of the world. Sure, you'll allow that there are strange regional apéritifs you're unaware of, but you think you can list the big ones. Well, unless you know pisco, a clear Peruvian spirit with hundreds of years of history, there's a hole in your knowledge.
Lucky for you, we're happy to fill it—with the help of Johnny Schuler, of Pisco Portón, the world's expert on pisco, not to mention a boss in the truest sense of the word. Let Johnny explain, as only he can, the history of a spirit you'll soon be seeing in bars all across America.
Here are 10 Things Every Guy Should Know About Pisco.
What does pisco mean?
“Pisco is an Incan word meaning small bird. There is a valley, a river, a town, and a port in Peru all bearing that name. The spirit was originally shipped from that port, so the name is like Champagne or Cognac. The spirit has been made in Peru since the late 1500s. It's not a new product, it's not as if someone has just invented a new spirit. But the problem is, the little pisco that was coming to the States was a lower-priced product. In the last few years, that has changed. Higher quality piscos are now available outside of Peru.
“Portón's distillery dates back to 1684. In fact, five percent of the product is made in that old distillery.”
Is pisco a brandy? A grappa?
”The technical definition of a brandy implies aging in wood. You can tell because all brandies are caramel-colored. However, it is true that both pisco and brandy are made from grapes. Pisco is a clear spirit that, at first impression, looks like a grappa. But it isn't. Grappa is made from pomace, what's leftover after wine is made: the stems, the skin, the seeds, et cetera. Most companies that produce wine will take the leftovers and they will re-hydrate, re-ferment, and distill. That's grappa, as it's known in Italy.
”What Portón does is crush the grapes, macerate, ferment, turn it into wine, and then take that to the still.”
Are there legal requirements for pisco?
“Peru has certain conditions about pisco production. First, you must use eight winemaking grapes that are determined by law. With these grapes, you must be confined to a predetermined geographical area. The singularity of pisco is that it's one of the only spirits on the market today that is distilled to proof. Gin, rye, bourbon, whiskey, tequila, rum-you name, it will be distilled to the maximum alcohol strength and then water will be used to proof the bottle. That's against the law in Peru. With pisco, on the first distillation it must be distilled to the proof that will go in the bottle. What you have in a bottle of Portón is pure grape, no water.”
How is pisco distilled?
“Normally piscos are distilled when fermentation has reached zero sugar. In other words, the wine goes to the still dry. Portón is distilled when there's about 15 percent sugar left. Without stopping fermentation, it goes to the still. That means I need about 40 percent more grapes than other piscos. 18 pounds of grapes go into one bottle.”
What do you age pisco in?
”We feel that the essence of the grapes will be destroyed by aging in oak, because you pick up the aroma, the flavor, and the color when aging in wood. Age in oak, and you no longer have pisco. We don't want to change the aroma, the flavor, or the color. We just want to let the spirit rest. We use enormous, 50,000-liter glass-lined silos.
“The norm for pisco is three-months rest. Portón lets it rest for a year.
Are the same grapes used every year?
“No. Portón arrived on the market March 2011. This, in the bottles available now, is the 2010 distillation. I've finished the 2012 distillation, which will hit the market at the end of 2014. I declare this will be the first spirit made from grapes that has to change, because it's not made from the pomace; it's not a standard product, as it is made of wine, which changes every year. Each year my piscos are going to be different. Of the eight grapes used, I produce six piscos. Then I decide which ones I blend to make this year's or next year's prediction. There will be slight changes from year to year, so that you will enjoy something that's alive.”
What makes pisco different from other spirits?
“We're a category that doesn't exist in the States yet. I'm fighting against the four sisters: vodka, gin, rum, and tequila. What is vodka? The definition is tasteless, odorless, colorless. What are you even drinking? Something from grain, rye, potatoes. In other words, vegetables. Gin, the alcohol without the botanicals? Same. Rum is from cane, another vegetable. You have to cook it down, make a molasses, turn it into rum. Tequila is a cactus you have to cook to turn the starch into sugar. Pisco is made from fruit. The only one made from fruit.
How will American bartenders respond to this new spirit?
“I think they'll enjoying playing with pisco. The layers of aromatics from the grapes give a cocktail made from pisco surprising dimensions. Say you normally drink a Bloody Mary. Try it with pisco. It appears to be the same drink, but it feels different.”
What should I expect when drinking pisco neat?
“It won't hurt your nostrils when you drink it. To the nose, straight, you'll be surprised. It's a beautiful balance between fruit and alcohol.”
“It goes down through your throat like liquid velvet, honey. Though it is 86 proof, so it's not a joke. But it is elegant.”
The Pisco Sour
“The Pisco Sour is the drink most associated with the spirit. If I'm sitting down for a meal, I must have one.”
2 ounces pisco
1 ounce of lime juice
1 ounce simple syrup
1 egg white
Shake with ice. Serve with a drop of bitters, just enough to smell.
