The Tasting Panel magazine

October 2014

Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/391612

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 93 of 132

october 2014  /  the tasting panel  /  93 T alk about history: The pisco trail in the U.S. dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when bars in San Francisco were pouring the spirit to locals and visitors from all over the world. Since then, it has made inroads across the globe, although many Americans still don't realize that this South American grape- based spirit is not only over 400 years old, but is extremely versatile and mixable in cocktails. For over 20 years, Johnny Schuler, Master Distiller of Portón, has been at the forefront of promoting pisco and telling its story, working tirelessly to educate about the spirit in the United States, expanding the pisco trail to places like New York City. He's made it his life's work to highlight the qualities of the spirit and to share its history with the world. In fact, in 2007, Peru's congress awarded him the Congressional Medal of Honor for his work to preserve pisco. "When we created Portón, we set out to develop the finest expression of Peru's national spirit," says Schuler. Since Portón was launched in 2011, the brand has developed an ardent group of followers within the trade and consumers alike. "Pisco is an important part of our everyday lives here in Peru," Schuler says. "It's a drink that we appreciate, and I want to share it with people outside of my country." All this dedication has paid off: Bartenders throughout NYC have begun incorporating 86-proof Portón into creative cocktails that are proving quite popular with their customers. The "fifth white spirit" is special, says Schuler, as it is the only known unaltered spirit in the world made using one ingredient—naturally fermented and distilled grapes. "It's distilled to proof and contains no water or artificial flavoring," he adds. With an aroma that's both floral and fruity, and a flavor tinged with notes of cinnamon, orange blossoms and citrus, there's really no limit to the kind of cocktail that bartenders can make with it. And thanks to its versatility, it can easily sub in for other spirits in everything from a Mojito to a Sour. Over the years, Peruvian pisco consumption has grown steadily in the States, with an average year-on-year growth of more than 70 percent since 2010. In 2013, the U.S. was the top global market for Peruvian pisco exports, and what's more, Portón accounted for nearly 50 percent of all Peruvian pisco exports in America, according to the company. With all this information in hand, we embarked on an NYC barhop to taste-test bartenders' handi- work first-hand. We traveled to three Manhattan bars and talked to each bartender about his or her creation—and, of course, sampled their drinks. We soon discovered that each bartender had a different interpretation of the spirit, proving it could be just as versatile as vodka or gin, and no two cocktails were the same. STOP NUMBER ONE: The Tippler, Chelsea The first stop on our Portón bar hop was The Tippler in Chelsea, a speakeasy buried deep underneath Chelsea Market. When Bartender Carie Bletz-Fuller began working there earlier this year, she noticed that the bar's cocktail program was lacking a pisco cocktail. Since she was familiar with the spirit after working with it at previous bars, she knew she wanted to add a pisco drink to the menu, which is how she created the "Somersault," a summery watermelon-and-lemon cocktail. "I wanted to introduce the crowd to something different," she says. "I tried several different brands, but I liked Portón for its floral profile. The cocktail's salted rim is key; it makes the water- melon in the drink juicier, kind of like a watermelon lemonade. I wanted to have something refreshing and cooling on the menu for summer." Carie Bletz-Fuller's guests flip over her Portón cocktail, Somersault at The Tippler in NYC's Chelsea. Somersault THE TIPPLER ◗ 1¾ oz. Portón ◗ 1 oz. watermelon simple syrup (1:1 watermelon to sugar) ◗ 1 oz. fresh lemon juice ◗ ½ oz. Cocchi Rosa ◗ Salt the rim of a rocks glass. Combine first four ingredients in cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over crushed ice. Garnish with two dashes of Peychaud's Bitters and a lemon wheel.

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Tasting Panel magazine - October 2014