What would a Taste of Peru be without a taste of pisco? Well, for one thing, dry. So when attending the event at the Miami Beach Convention Center that runs through tomorrow, I naturally found myself gravitating towards the Pisco O stand, I had arrived an hour before start time to grab a few tastes and sips before the crowds descended.
"We use nine kilos of Torontel grapes for every one liter of Pisco O," said VP of Sales David Flores, before segueing into an explanation of the triple filtration system. I sipped some chilled and neat -- tasted great, but I'm no pisco aficionado. So I asked about some basic stuff, like who in Miami has it. "La Cofradia, Sushi Samba, Jaguar Ceviche, El Gran Inka....the Mandarin Oriental" are the ones he thought of on the spot. Many liquor stores have it in stock, including Liquors Plus in Aventura, D'Liquor in Brickell, and Gables Liquor and Royal Liquors in Coral Gables. The price "is around $36". "How much is the cheap stuff?" I ask. "About $12. But there is no comparison."
Eduardo M. Diaz, Pisco O's President, added a few words about the smoothness of the product. Then they poured me a petite pisco sour that was so good we're sharing the recipe after the jump.
Pisco Sour
3 ounces Pisco O
1 ounce lime juice
1 ½ ounces sugar or simple syrup
½ egg white
Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Add 2 drops angostura bitters.
Meanwhile, Taste of Perú continues through Wednesday. Tix are $35 in advance , $50 at the door.
