So when I did my brandy world tour, I apparently forgot to research South America and didn’t discover Pisco until now, so here goes with a Peruvian pisco made from 100% Quebranta grapes.
Smells of pear, melon, and booze. The taste is fruity and lightly sweet with flavors of pear, apple, white grape, kiwi, and apricot. The finish is fruity but with a moderate burn, featuring notes of honeydew melon, cantaloupe, grape must, and a hint of bitter herbs. Overall, it’s a little bit on the harsh side for sipping, but the flavors and aroma are incredibly unique and fruity, moreso than anything else I’ve tried in the brandy family, and I’m very excited to mix with it.
A traditional Peruvian style Pisco Sour (made with a 50/50 mix of lemon and lime juices) is creamy and delicious, with the pear, green apple, apricot, and honey particularly shining through. The citrus just kinda fills in the gaps between. One of the best sours I’ve ever had.
A Chilean style Pisco Sour (a simpler sour without the egg white or bitters, and yes I know it’s a faux pas to use Peruvian pisco for this). Is essentially the same just a touch brighter. Obviously, a ridiculously good cocktail as well.
A cocktail I just made up called a Piscosmo (2:1:1:1 cosmopolitan made with Pisco instead of vodka) is remarkably well balanced between the orange, citrus, and pisco. The pisco is able to blend in with other fruit flavors perfectly in a manner reminiscent of cachaça.
A Chilcano is aromatic and fruity at the same time; nothing like a mule-type cocktail, it’s sweeter with hints of lime, pear, cantaloupe underneath the ginger/bitters spice with the pisco taking on more of a supporting role here.
A Piscola is also quite fruity, even more so than a Kalimotxo, though there is a resemblance. Pear, apple, apricot, and melon flavors dominate, with a touch of citrus and cola underneath to round it out.