Monthly Archives: January 2013

Habanero Pisco Sour

Habanero Pisco Sour

Habanero Pisco Sour

In honor of the upcoming National Pisco Sour Day, which falls on the first Saturday of February each year, I was inspired to experiment with the traditional recipe. And like all good controlled experiments, I changed one variable at a time, proportions, citrus, and even the flavor of the simple syrup, then tasted the results. Several cocktails later, I found a spicy winner — the Habanero Pisco Sour.
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Maricel Presilla at Omnivore Books

Gran Cocina Latina at Omnivore Books

Gran Cocina Latina at Omnivore Books

Last Monday, I had the pleasure of serving a Pisco cocktail and Peruvian dessert at Omnivore Books where Maricel Presilla took the audience on an intimate and personal journey through Latin America and spoke about her new book, Gran Cocina Latina. In the process, she asked the audience “what is Latin America?” and gave us a sense of what it was like to travel to different countries over a period of three decades, cooking with the locals, learning about tradition, and compiling recipes to share with the world.
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Pisco and Ginger Ale (Chilcano)

Chilcano — Pisco and ginger ale variations with lime, blood orange, grapefruit, and pineapple

Chilcano — Pisco and ginger ale variations with lime, blood orange, grapefruit, and pineapple

January 11-17 is officially Chilcano week in Peru, so to celebrate I experimented with different variations. And though it’s still winter in Califonia, you can taste a little bit of the Summer in Peru by preparing this simplest of cocktails: Pisco, lime juice, ice, ginger ale, stir, done. Here’s how you can share this cocktail with a group of friends in a DIY Peruvian fashion.
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Pisco Prune Punch

Pisco Prune Punch

Pisco Prune Punch

Some recipes are born by accident, others by necessity. You like buñuelos but can’t afford milk and eggs? Use a sweet potato and squash purée instead and make the Peruvian donuts — Picarones. The upper class chef throws away beef hearts? Marinade them in hot peppers and vinegar, grill them and make the Peruvian kebobs — Anticuchos. So if a recipe calls for prunes soaked in Pisco, what do you do with the leftover Pisco? You accidentally make a cocktail.
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Two Years of Pisco Trail

Two Years of Pisco Trail

Two Years of Pisco Trail

Pisco Trail was born two years ago on Jan 1, 2011. Two years ago. From dinner, dessert, or cocktail pop-ups at 18 Reasons, Omnivore Books, The Red Poppy Art House, and The HUB, 2012 gave me the opportunity to continue to share Peruvian cuisine and culture with San Francisco. I was also very excited to travel to New Orleans to do a Pisco cocktail demonstration and to cook a special 5-course Peruvian Independence Day dinner at Carmo.
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