Saturday Is Pisco Sour Day!

Walter Moore, co-chair of the fabulous SF-based Campo de Encanto Pisco brand, stopped by the store today to remind me that this coming Saturday is National Pisco Sour day.  His partner in crime, the smooth-talking Duggan McDonnell is down in Lima as I type this, getting behind the stick for a week long Peruvian party with the locals.  These guys must be pretty excited because their stuff has been chosen as the official pisco for the party, an honor that seems almost impossible to be true, considering it's run by foreigners and has almost zero recognition outside the Bay Area.  That should tell you something about the quality of Encanto (which I whole-heartedly vouch for). 

Walter will be running a pub crawl here in SF to celebrate this Saturday, culminating at Cantina around 9 PM where they'll be shelling out $5 Pisco Sours while a DJ pumps out the jams.  If you're feeling like more of a home body, Duggan left this recipe for us domestic mixologists:

All's Fair In War & Pisco (a most passionate cocktail)

In a tall glass pour:

2 fingers Encanto

1 part fresh citrus

2 parts ginger ale

add ice, stir, and float a small amount of red wine on top

As you can see in the above photo, our pisco selection has doubled to four outstanding selections, the Encanto on the left and the three new Viñas de Oro piscos, all from different varietals, and all absolutely stellar in their quality.  There are so many more interesting drinks that include pisco for us to experiment with, including the sour, that can be tweaked for additional flavor.  There is really little need for vodka in this day and age with the emergence of pisco.  It functions in many of the same ways, but with more depth, texture, and flavor.  Heck, Duggan's new recipe is pretty much a Moscow Mule that's been altered just a bit.  I know what I'm drinking tonight.

-David Driscoll