Chilcano Cocktail

While visiting Cusco, Peru I had the opportunity to participate in a “pisco tasting” of thirteen different piscos. Pisco is a clear or light colored brandy made from Peruvian grapes, and depending on the way it’s made, the flavor differs just like other fine brandies. Perhaps the most famous cocktail in Peru is the pisco sour. But there’s another drink that is a bit easier to make, and when served over ice makes a very refreshing cocktail on a hot afternoon. The chilcano is reputed to have been invented by some Italian immigrants who had run out of grappa. They substituted pisco for grappa in a new cocktail they called “chilcano”, which was also the name of a Peruvian fish head soup. The story goes that both the fish head soup and the cocktail will cure a hangover.

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Ingredients

Makes One Cocktail

Chilcano Cocktail:

• 2 ounces Peruvian Pisco

• 1/4 ounce fresh lime juice

• 4 ounces ginger ale

Process

Combine all ingredients in a glass and stir with ice.  Serve with a lime wedge.