Ingredients
What goes in, per litre of pisco
- 6–8 kgripe grapes of the eight permitted varieties
- non-aromatic: Quebranta, Negra Criolla, Mollar, Uvina
- aromatic: Italia, Moscatel, Albilla, Torontel
- native yeasts, or a selected wine yeast
- nothing else: no water, no sugar, no colouring, no wood
To serve
- a small tulip glass or copa de pisco
- still water on the side
- serving temperature 16–18°C (60–65°F)
Directions
- Harvest in February and March in the five coastal valleys with the denomination: Ica, Lima, Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna.
- Press within hours of picking and ferment the must dry in tanks or old clay botijas for 1–2 weeks at 20–28°C (70–80°F), to a wine of about 12–14% ABV.
- For mosto verde, stop the fermentation while sugar remains, which means far more wine per litre of spirit and a rounder, silkier result.
- Distil the whole wine once in a copper pot still (alambique) or a falca, discarding the heads and cutting to tails by taste, smell and temperature.
- Cut nothing afterwards. Peruvian law forbids adding water, so the distiller must land the heart cut at bottling strength, 38–48% ABV. This single rule is what separates pisco from most brandy.
- Rest at least 3 months in glass, stainless steel or another non-reactive vessel. Never oak: pisco is colourless by definition and takes nothing from wood.
- Bottle without colour adjustment. To serve, pour 40–50 ml into a tulip at room temperature and smell before you sip: Quebranta gives banana, dried fruit and earth, Italia and Torontel jasmine, orange peel and fresh grape.
- Drink it neat as an aperitif, or use it as the base of a pisco sour or a chilcano, lengthened with ginger ale and lime over ice.
Technique
- The four legal styles are puro (a single variety), acholado (a blend), mosto verde (from partially fermented must) and aromático (from the aromatic varieties). Quebranta puro is the everyday benchmark.
- Peru and Chile both claim the name. The Peruvian denomination requires the eight varieties, a single distillation to final proof and no wood ageing; Chilean pisco permits reduction with water and cask ageing, so the two are genuinely different spirits.
- Do not attempt to distil at home. It is illegal without a licence in most countries, and badly judged cuts concentrate methanol from the heads.
Substitutions
- To taste the style, buy a Quebranta puro rather than a blend; it is the grape most Peruvians consider the true pisco.
- In a pisco sour, grappa and Chilean pisco are not equivalents: grappa is distilled from pomace and is far harsher, and Chilean pisco is often oaked.
Variations
- Mosto verde, softer and more expensive, from must distilled with sugar still in it.
- Acholado, blended across varieties, the workhorse of Lima’s cocktail bars.
- Pisco puro Italia, intensely floral, usually drunk neat.
History
Distilled since the 16th century around the port of Pisco; the Peruvian denomination allows eight grape varieties and forbids ageing in wood.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pisco?
Pisco is a wine & spirit from Peru: clear grape brandy distilled to strength, with no water or wood added. Distilled since the 16th century around the port of Pisco; the Peruvian denomination allows eight grape varieties and forbids ageing in wood.
How long does Pisco take to make?
Pisco takes harvest and press, same day of preparation and 1–2 weeks fermenting, then at least 3 months resting of cooking. The recipe makes roughly 1 litre from 7 kg of grapes. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Pisco?
Yes, within limits. To taste the style, buy a Quebranta puro rather than a blend; it is the grape most Peruvians consider the true pisco. In a pisco sour, grappa and Chilean pisco are not equivalents: grappa is distilled from pomace and is far harsher, and Chilean pisco is often oaked.
What is the most important thing to get right in Pisco?
Press within hours of picking and ferment the must dry in tanks or old clay botijas for 1–2 weeks at 20–28°C (70–80°F), to a wine of about 12–14% ABV.
