Category Archives: Cocktails

Comstock’s Monday Night Special

Comstock's Monday Night Special

Comstock’s Monday Night Special

Monday nights are usually pretty quite in San Francisco, the weekend is over, most restaurants are closed, and it’s back to the daily grind — but not at Comstock Saloon. Here, under the protection of Emperor Norton perched high above the bar, the weekend is just starting. And here is where you’ll find me, enjoying a barkeep’s whimsy Pisco cocktail from Jared and sitting in on drums, playing some swinging Gypsy Jazz tunes with Gaucho on the balcony stage.
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Pisco Bijou

Pisco Bijou

Pisco Bijou

If you speak French, you know that Bijou means jewel, and if you drink cocktails, you know that the classic Bijou is made by mixing three spirits whose colors represent three different jewels: diamond, emerald, and ruby. In the classic Bijou cocktail, gin is used for the diamond, but here, the diamond is Pisco, which plays very nicely with the aromatics from the chartreuse and the sweetness of the vermouth. If you don’t speak French, don’t worry, one sip of the Pisco Bijou will make you fluent and one drink might get you into a little bit of trouble: Voulez-vous un Pisco Bijou mon cheri?
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Saffron Pisco

Saffron Pisco

Saffron Pisco

Today is National Paella Day, so to celebrate I decided to get back to the Pisco Lab and experiment with a new cocktail that used saffron. The color and flavor of saffron is very unique, and I really enjoy cooking with it, specially when I am preparing a seafood paella. But how would it taste in a cocktail? How would it go with Pisco?
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10 Tips for Cocktail Photography

Some time ago, I was asked “do you take all the photographs on your blog?” and the answer is Yes! I write all the recipes, cook all the dishes, make all the cocktails, and photograph all the food and drinks. But if you’ve never photographed food, it can be very challenging. Why? Because no matter how good something tastes, you need to make it look like it’s going to taste great in the photo. In other words, of all the senses you can use to enjoy food: sight, taste, smell, sound, and touch, you can only appeal to the sense of sight in a photograph.
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Mardi Gras Pisco Sour

Mardi Gras Pisco Sour

Mardi Gras Pisco Sour

So far, February has had weekly celebrations that have inspired new cocktails and recipes on Pisco Trail. First, we had National Pisco Sour Day and the Habanero Pisco Sour. Then, Chinese New Year and the Arroz Chaufa, or Chinese-Peruvian Fried Rice. This week, we have Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras? Why am I writing about Mardi Gras? Simple, I love New Orleans. Its food traditions are very similar to Peru’s in many ways. Beginning with a shared history as Spanish Viceroyalties in the Americas, they both resulted in a mixture of Spanish, European, Creole, and indigenous cultures. And while my friends in NOLA were celebrating Mardi Gras, I toasted to the occasion with a Mardi Gras Pisco Sour.
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