Torres del Paine

2 oz Pisco
1⁄2 oz Gran Classico
1⁄2 oz Cynar
1⁄2 oz Lemon juice
1 twst Lemon peel (swath, muddled)
1 twst Orange peel (swath, muddled)
Instructions

Muddle peel in low-ball glass, add ice, build, stir

Notes

Torres del Paine is a national park in the Patagonia region of Chile -- bitterly beautiful.

History

Created for Mixology Monday MxMo LVIII Niche Spirits, June 30, 2011.

Cocktail summary
Torres del Paine
©2011 Kindred Cocktails
Posted by Dan on
Created by
Dan Chadwick, Kindred Cocktails
Year
2011
Is the
author's original creation
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Average
3.5 stars
(16 ratings)
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From other users
  • Bitterness is strong but thoughtfully complex.
  • Yet to Try
  • A surprising and challenging cocktail.
  • I prefer 1/4 oz lemon juice
  • Made with Barsol Quebranta Primero, found it quite unbalanced, then it improved a little with dilution and orange/lemon twist infusion — ★★
  • Pisco- bitter, sour
  • Didn't have orange peel, but used a light dash of Regan's orange bitters before shaking, and it came out great.
  • Complex, unusual, deep. A good cocktail to contemplate, although it goes unnervingly easily. — ★★★★★
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Comments
Dan commented on 6/13/2011:

Mixology Monday is a global cocktail smack-down, where bloggers and other writers are encouraged to create a cocktail around a common theme. For June, 2011, Adventures in Cocktails (www.adventuresincocktails.com) is hosting MxMo LVIII, challenging us to create a cocktail using an uncommon base spirit. Bourbon, gin, tequila, rum, and the like -- nope. Reaching deeper into the cabinet I find a neglected bottle of Pisco. That'll work.

I was first introduced to Pisco during a family trip to Patagonia -- hiking, rafting, and sea travel. The sea leg of the trip featured a "motor yacht." That's Chilean for fishing boat. Our Captain taught us the essential toast to Jacquot-- the spirit of safe passage. Standing on the bobbing deck, we held small glasses of Pisco to the sky, spilled a bit for Jacquot, and swallowed the remainder. Facing the bitter sea spray, the fierce Chilean brandy generated a warm ember in our cold bodies. Heartburn, no doubt. The rite worked, as we arrived safe and, but for our queasy stomachs, sound.

Years passed before Pisco became readily available in the US. Whether through a rise in quality or ebb in memory, the brandy is much smoother than my first experience, with a lovely fruit and depth. As a lover of all things bitter, I thought to combine the newly-available Gran Classico's vibrant flavors with Cynar's dark savory flavors -- a contract in bitter. The lemon provides acid to moderate the bitter and tame the sweet. Muddle the citrus peels for a bit more bitter depth and interest.

This is a slow sipping cocktail for lovers of amari. Think of the beautiful towers in Torres del Paine National Park, of adventure shared with family, and of Jacquot, stealing Pisco from every passing vessel.

Dan, this looks lovely, I love the backstory as well. I was quite surprised by the Chilean Capel pisco, enjoy playing with it, and I'm glad you featured it for MixMo. And the choice of amari is lovely as well - I'm off to Cirace in the North End this weekend to get the Gran Classico! This drink will whet my appetite for complex bitter in a sipper.

filip commented on 6/24/2011:

Gonna have to give this a try, it sounds great. Thanks for the MxMo submission Dan.

Found this a little austere at first and added a light splash of Luxardo Maraschino, which brought it right into the balance of bitter/sour/sweet that I was looking for.