The Macchu Pisco Review

Pisco, hum...when this spirit comes to mind or If you see it on a cocktail list, what do think and what do you know about this natural spirit?

Well, I'm here to give some insight and tell you about a brand that I've come across during my session at Junior Merino's Liquid Lab a few months ago.

In this photo, is the founder and CEO of the Macchu Pisco brand, Melanie Asher. She educated and helped me develope a great appreciation for this fine product.

Let me give you some basic background information on the Peruvian version, because their are two countries who produces pisco. It is a great debate and an issue about who invented it, due to the fact that Chile grows the Quebranta grape in the northern region of the Elqui Valley, which is the main grape to produce the pisco.

Also, I have to say that the first vineyards to produce the grapes, especially the Quebranta was in the vice royalty of Peru, which is the south west Inca region.

A Few facts:

• Pure Peruvian pisco is never blended with water or anything else that could declare it not to be true to the appellation.
• Pisco is a categorized in the brandy family.
  
• It is distilled naturally.
• Bottled in cask that are lined with paraffin to keep the liquor clear and the complex flavor pure.
• Pisco softens with aging a little, but doesn't need to, unlike whisky.
• Pisco is about 400-500 years old in production.
• Peruvian pisco grades includes the acholado, which translate to the "Half Breed".
• Pisco means "Little Bird".

Back to Macchu Pisco

I wanted to discuss this brand in the hopes that people can appreciate a well produced spirit that is similar, but different at the same time to the brandy and grappa that you may drink. If you would like to create a cocktail at home for entertaining, I'll suggest Artemio Vasquez's Pisco Sour cocktail from the Yerba Buena cafe located on 23 Avenue A, NYC.

Serves 1 cocktail

Ingredients:
2 oz Macchu Pisco
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz simple syrup
1 organic egg white
Bitters

Dry shake all the ingredients except for the bitters until it's foamy, then add ice and shake again, served up and garnished with dashes of bitters.

Macchu Pisco has 3 versions that could possibly satisfy your taste buds. 1. The classic and premium pisco 2. La Diablada, which is great for pisco punches or neat as a digestif 3. Nusta, which is the reserved and rare version.

Nusta is bottled in a limited production of handmade ceramic bottle's, which is displayed in the above photo with Melanie in the brown earthy color with the orange circled label.

In conclusion, I hope you find this review informative and you'll go out and try something new!

Photo Credit:

Melanie Asher's photo: http://expressnightout.com/content/photos/2006-09-29-pisco.jpg