MACERADOS DE PISCO

October 30, 2017 SouthAmerica

Pisco, the Peruvian brandy, is trying to make a comeback to the USA after all Pisco was first introduced to San Francisco in 1893 at the Bank Exchange with the famous Pisco Punch.

We first got to try a macerado de Pisco in Huaraz back in 2009, at the bar 13 buhos. They were offering Coca Sour, which is an infusion of coca leaves with Pisco– the end result was phenomenal. While in Huaraz we met Felix a street artist who could make impressive paitings using spray paint. He made this Huaraz painting for us.

southamericatotheworld.com — Felix in Huaraz

Then we visited Cuzco in 2011 and they didn´t have Coca Sour. They thought we meant Pisco Sour. It was a surprise to me that Huaraz was farther ahead on this new trend than Cuzco. I believe it had to do with hikers attempting to climb Peru´s highest peak Huascaran. We know that Coca tea is good remedy for altitude sickness. When you take Peruvian’s national drink of Pisco and combine the ingredients the final result was Coca Sour.

Bartenders in Peru have been trying to bring variety to the Pisco with their macerados, Pisco infused with some other ingredients, which usually are fruits, herbs, and in some cases sugar. Making this Pisco infusion will turn into a new type of alcoholic beverage to use in new cocktails.

Today there are places in Peru like the Museo del Pisco in Arequipa, Cuzco, and Lima innovating more and more this idea. There are several varieties of Pisco infusions, such as maracuya, tamarindo, mango, strawberries, raspberries, oranges, honey, rocoto, coca leaves, and lemon grass.

It is easy for anybody to create their own macerados at home. First you have to do decide what kind of fruit or herb you want to use and this will determine the time the infusion will take. If you decide to work with lemon grass or coca leaves they will need about 30 days to steep in the Pisco. If using fruits it can take up to 40 or 50 days. Another factor to consider is how much macerado you will like to make and according to that use the amount of fruit and herbs. Also how strong the flavor of the ingredients are, the coca leaves are strong so you won´t need much, on the contrary oranges and strawberries will need more quantity. The best type of Pisco to use is the Pisco Quebranta, which is the same recommended for making Pisco Sours and Chilcanos.

After you combine the ingredients and leave it to infuse certain over time, taste it occasionally to see if the flavor profile is strong enough. Once completed then you have to filter the infused Pisco and transfer to a bottle to either have it alone or use it for making cocktails. The most popular are flavored Pisco Sours and Chilcanos.