Wednesday, June 08, 2005
News from Santiago
I arrived safely in Santiago on Tuesday evening, and repaired to an excellent restaurant with our Chilean distributors. Without disclosing the reason why, I reported that I was under some unspecified obligation to try the "national cocktail" in each country that I visit. This was not in the least bit surprising to my hosts, who insisted that I have a pisco sour. The essence of the pisco sour is pisco, which is distilled from grapes here in Chile and also Peru and Bolivia. The name derives from the Pisco province of Peru, where it was first produced in the 16th century (at least according to webtender.com, which I assume knows whereof it speaks). Nevertheless, the Chileans claim the pisco sour as their national cocktail with more than a little pride. Indeed, when one of my hosts ventured to suggest that he preferred the Bolivian version of the pisco sour, the other Chileans present seemed to think that this was some sort of treason. Which was ironic, since the fellow who preferred "Bolivian" pisco sours had up until that point been a sort of walking Chilean Chamber of Commerce, reporting on all sorts of Chilean "firsts" (world copper production, world salmon exports, that sort of thing).
In any case, I drank it, and it was good.
In any case, I drank it, and it was good.
2 Comments:
By 
Charlottesvillain, at
Wed Jun 08, 08:37:00 AM:
Hey, you preempted my content for the day!
By Ernesto, at
Mon Jun 13, 09:24:00 AM:
El Pisco es Peruano!!
The Pisco is Peruvian!!!
listas.rcp.net.pe/pipermail/cocina/2003-May/001628.html
It looks like your Chilean friends didn't told you the truth....
