Earlier this week, we met with Peruvian pisco master distiller Johnny Schuler. He is one seriously passionate man when it comes to pisco. For two hours we talked, drank, and smelled like nothing more than pisco.
This was all before 2 p.m., of course.
He left us with a bottle of his signature Porton, and we decided to take it to a local craft bartender to see what she could come up with.
Enter Gina Igneri of Wynwood Kitchen & Bar.
Pisco Porton is what Schuler described as the result of "25 years of drinking pisco in a bottle... My moment of ecstasy was one morning at 3:30 when the first drops began to fall from our stills."
For our bartender at Wynwood Kitchen, though, pisco brought about a different train of thought. Confessed Igneri: "I don't like pisco. It's not my favorite."
All the more reason to ask her to come up with some inventive libations!
Schuler insisted pisco is far more diverse than what most people give it credit for. "You can do anything with it," he said.
Igneri told us that she prefers simplicity when it comes to her cocktails, because "all you need is a few solid and fresh ingredients -- and good liquor." Her pisco creations perfectly displayed her simple preferences.
We named the cocktails on Igneri's behalf, but Wynwood Kitchen & Bar's general manager, Tony Puche, agreed "The Gina" was an unexpected winner -- one we hope to see on the menu the next time we visit.
Who knew a gal who disliked pisco could make such a great drink out of it (and secretly admit she actually liked it)?
Piscai
1.5 oz Porton
1 oz açaí liqueur
splash of simple syrup
Shake and garnish with mint.
Grapefruit MojiPisco
1.5 oz Porton
1 oz grapefruit juice
muddled lime and mint
splash of simple syrup
splash of soda water
Shake and garnish with mint.
The Gina
1.5 oz Porton
1 oz St. Germaine
splash of simple syrup
muddled, charred pineapple
Fill with pineapple juice, shake, and garnish with mint.
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