While there is some debate over where pisco originated, it is a usually clear spirit produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. While both countries tout pisco as their national drink, there is an international trade agreement for protection of the beverage that prohibits branding including country names. Created through the ingenuity of Spanish settlers as an alternative to pomace brandy which needed to be imported and incurred high tax, pisco is made by distilling fermented grape juice (which is readily available in winemaking regions) into a high-proof spirit.

If you want to be technical, pisco is an unaged brandy, but it has been compared to a host of other spirits. Some (myself included) taste the similarity between pisco and tequila’s herbal, earthiness, while others compare it to Grappa for its slight grape fruitiness and yet others describe it as having citrus notes.

Pisco Punch is considered the first known pisco cocktail and was invented in San Francisco, California, while the Pisco Sour originated in Lima. I have included recipes for both below and they are feature on our Cocktail Creation Station – if you try them out, please let us know your thoughts in the comments!