2009 October 08 « Life in Peru

Pisco Sour

Occasionally I try to explain to my gringo friends how to make Pisco Sour, the Peruvian national drink. This video does a much better job than I can, and it’s funny to boot. Otto posted it a while back, but it’s worth repeating. All of the commentary the bartender adds is quite true, by the way.

Here’s what you need to know about Pisco:

It’s Peruvian, not Chilean. The drink is named after the town of Pisco, just south of Lima.
Peruvians often have a Pisco Sour as an appetizer, but you can also drink Pisco in shots or mixed with Sprite, etc.
It can be rather funny to see gringos here in Cusco drink Pisco… combine the elevation, the fact that they are away from home, and the smooth taste of Pisco Sour and they get more than a bit tipsy…

Tomorrow we’re making a big jar of Pisco Sour right here at our house

October 8, 2009 Posted by wwelvaert | Life in Peru | pisco, pisco sour | 5 Comments

Batalla de Angamos

Today, October 8, is a holiday in Peru to remember the battle of Angamos. During this battle (LA BATALLA DE ANGAMOS), fought on October 8 of 1879 in the war between Peru and Chile, famous Peruvian Adm. Miguel Grau Seminario was killed aboard the ironclad Huáscar, which was subsequently captured by the Chilean navy.

We took a walk to the Plaza de Armas this morning, had some ice cream and watched a parade. The parade supposedly was not for the official holiday, but a religious procession that just happened to coincide with the holiday. It was a beautiful day out, but we forgot to take the camera so I took some crappy cellphone pictures instead