A Muddled Thought

So the story goes, two sisters walk into a bar… err correction two sisters decide to share their love of Pisco with the world and form Macchu Pisco.

According to Elizabeth(Lizzie) da Trindade-Asher it all started with her sister Melanie’s first taste of Pisco around the age of twelve. With that first sip of a Pisco Sour, Melanie was hooked. Peru apparently lacked a drinking age, and it was common place for children to partake in the joys of Pisco. It also didn’t hurt that the secret ingredient in Lizzie and Melanie’s favorite aunt’s apple pie was also Pisco.

After this first experience with Pisco, Melanie continued to think about the spirit, and began to wonder why it hadn’t received the exposure that other imported spirits such as Cognac and Tequila had received. Flash forward to the year 2004, Melanie received a degree from Harvard Business school, the inception of Macchu Pisco soon followed. After dipping into her savings, and with some assistance from Lizzie and their parents, a brand was born.

Staying true to that first sip of that inspired a brand, Macchu Pisco is a true artisanal with Melanie personally overseeing the entire process from harvesting to the bottling. The unaged Quebranta based Puro De Quebranta, results in a limited 3,000 cases a year.

Each bottle of aged La Diablada is made up of a blend of Moscatel, Italia, and Quebranta grapes that have been aged for a period of two years. La Diablada was created by Melanie’s desire to have a product representative of all the different Pisco varieties one would find if they were traveling around Peru. This unique blending of three grape varietals along with adding some age creates a Pisco, unlike anything else I’ve yet to come across.

I found La Diablada to be a very clean forward spirit that hits the palate with flavors reminiscent of what one might come across spending a summers day in a winery. Light touches of grass, followed by nuances of sweetness, pepper rhubarb, and the minute presence of oranges.

Final Score: 9.5/10

The Pink Ranger

1 ¾ oz Macchu Pisco La Diablada
¼ oz Lime Juice
3 bar spoons Green Chartreuse
2 dashes Rhubarb Bitters
¾ oz Cinnamon Syrup
Eggwhite

The Pink Ranger. A combination of Macchu Pisco La Diablada, Lime Juice, Green Chartreuse, Rhubarb bitters and Eggwhite.

The Peruvian Rose

2oz RoseAngel Tequila
1oz Macchu Pisco La Diablada
½ oz Simple Syrup
½ oz Lemon Juice
Egg White
Top with Champagne or Prosecco
Drizzle Cherry Bitters on top

Putting the finishing touches on the Peruvian Rose. A Combination of Macchu Pisco La Diablada , RoseAngel Tequila, Eggwhite and Cherry Bitters

Passion, in the spirits industry you often find the best spirits come from those who define this term.
My first meeting with Herbie Loebl, was initially via email, then a lengthy phone call and finally in person. The first thing I realized when I began speaking to him, is that he’s incredibly passionate about pisco.

At the time, pisco was one of those spirits I had heard about but never really knew much about. (Apologies to Herbie, this article has been on the back burner for a quite a while.)

As I spoke to Herbie on that initial phone call, I began to understand where his passion came from. Herbie’s family has been in the pisco business for quite a long time. One could say pisco runs through Herbie’s blood. During this initial conversation Herbie, mentioned how Gran Sierpe offers three different types of pisco, based on the grapes used. These include an iItalia bottling(very aromatic), an acholado bottling(Utilizing a blend of three varieties) and a quebranta bottling(a dark non aromatic grape, that is used without blending it with other varietals).

So after my conversation I learned a few things about Gran Sierpe.

The harvesting time for the grapes used runs from August-February. All grapes are harvested from private fields owned by Gran Sierpe. All the grapes used in Gran Sierpe go from vine to being de-stemmed, pressed and then stored in stainless steel tanks for the fermentation process to begin. Depending on the type of grape, this process can take anywhere from 12-20 days to occur.

Once fermentation is completed, the grape remains essentially become a wine. This product of fermentation is then filtered and moved to copper pot stills for the distillation process to begin. Once distillation has been completed, and only the hearts of the spirit remain it’s placed in stainless steel barrels for three to nine months before being bottled. The end result of this process is a flavorful grape based spirit that can run the gambit from sweet to dry depending on which bottling you’ve chosen to sample.

As mentioned above Gran Sierpe offers three types of pisco. I took a look at the Quebranta bottlng.

Keeping in mind that pisco originates from grapes as cognac does, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a playful cognac as I sipped Gran Sierpe. From that first taste I was greeted by the presence of mellowing grapes that were soon joined by hints of sweet dough, the presence of cherries and the occasional hints of cinnamon and allspice.

Final Score: 9/10

One of Herbie’s goals aside from spreading the word (and also selling ) Gran Sierpe, is a much larger undertaking, educating the masses on all the varieties and wonders of Pisco, as it’s quite often misunderstood and just a spirit that’s used in Pisco Sours and Pisco Punch, and like any other spirit, can be used in many other cocktail recipes, with only the imagination to limit us.

Here are a few examples of pisco cocktails, that “stray from the norm”.

Peruvian Gran Prix
1 ¾ Gran Sierpe Pisco
¾ Don Julio Anejo
¾ Coconut Tea Syrup
Muddled Blueberries
Eggwhite

The Peruvian Gran Prix. A combination of Gran Sierpe Pisco, Don Julio Anejo, Coconut Tea Syrup, and Muddled Blueberries.

Some P & S
1 oz Gran Sierpe Pisco
1 oz Plymouth Gin
¾ oz Cinnamon Syrup
½ oz Maraska
½ oz Lime Juice
1 Bar Spoon Lillet Blanc

Some P&S. A combination of Gran Sierpe Pisco, Plymouth Gin, Cinnamon Syrup, Maraska and Lillet Blanc.