The Last Pisco Sour

Our last stop in South America was Santiago, and we had done so much coming and going from this lovely city that it was starting to feel like home. The day we left Santiago for Sydney was a bank holiday, and our plans for stockpiling Pisco were thwarted by closed duty free shops at the airport. The bars were open thank goodness, and it seemed appropriate that our final drinks in South America should be Pisco Sours, in the
aptly named bar, 'The Last Pisco Sour.'

The Earliest Pisco Sour

Gratuitous photo of Machu Picchu. Tom forgot to smile.

The classic Inca Trail is a four day hike from kilometre 82 (82 km along the railway from Cusco to Aguas Calientes) to Machu Picchu, the glorious ancient city of the Incas. It takes you through the spectacular scenery of the Andes, to breathless heights of over 4000 metres, to atmospheric Inca sites and to some of the coldest showers I have ever experienced. It is perfectly achievable by anyone with a decent level of fitness and some sense of adventure. We chose to go with Wayki Trek who have knowledgable and supportive guides, and superhuman porters who are provided with excellent equipment and are well paid.

On the final day, you are dragged from your tent at 3am to inhale some breakfast before queuing to get through the final checkpoint. You then walk for a final hour and a half to reach the sun gate. From here, you get your first glimpse of Machu Picchu as it is gradually lit by the sunrise. We were extremely lucky with the weather; blue skies, a few picturesque white clouds hanging in the valleys and a cool breeze. It is truly awe-inspiring. 

After some time and many photographs at the sun gate, we dropped down to the main entrance. It is around a 30 minute walk, and by the time you get here, Machu Picchu is full of people who have come by train and bus. I agree that having a train is a fantastic idea, as trekking the Inca Trail is not an option for everyone for various reasons. However, we felt that it was a bit unfair that these people get in first, when it is silent, empty and at its most atmospheric and photogenic, rather than those of us who had been walking for four days to reach it. This childish feeling of injustice may have something to do with how tired and filthy we were. Additionally the Trekkers are the only ones lucky enough to catch the sunrise at the sun gate. Still, we let ourselves feel a bit miffed for a while, and then got on with enjoying the beauty of the place.

At the main entrance there are shops, a cafe, a bar and real toilets (!) and it is here that we had Pisco Sours. No, it wasn't yet 9am, but we had been awake since 3am, we had been walking and camping for four days and we hadn't drunk anything other than water and coca tea since Cusco. And Pisco Sours have fruit in. Completely justified. They came in plastic cups and were very generous servings. Our ability to judge the quality may not have been top-notch at the time, but they looked and tasted amazing. We don't make a habit of drinking alcohol before 9am, but these Pisco Sours were most definitely worth it, and if possible, made exploring Machu Picchu even more enjoyable.

The Best Pisco Sour

If becoming a connoisseur depends solely on quantity consumed, then we are well on our way to becoming connoisseurs of Pisco Sours. I am sure, however, that other more qualified people have views on whether Peruvian or Chilean Pisco Sours are better, what Pisco should be used and on the finer points of mixing. All we can do is pick our favourite from the many that we tried.

A google or guidebook search for the best Pisco Sour in Lima directs you to El Bolivarcito - catedral de Pisco, a bar on the ground floor of Hotel Bolivar looking out onto central Lima's main square.The bar is a fairly unassuming place packed out by business lunches on weekdays, with a summary of the history of Peruvian Pisco on one wall. It has a long menu of Pisco Sours to choose from, each mixed with a different Pisco. We chose Classico first. They came in glasses a bit like old-fashioned glasses but with a short stem. It was delicious, and exactly what you'd expect from a well made Peruvian Pisco Sour, ie: smooth, uniform, no egg white globules floating in the glass and a few millimetres of froth that remains on the top as you drink it.

Next we tried the Catedral, which is the bar's signature Pisco Sour. These came in Hurricane glasses and were made using a better quality Pisco and their classic recipe. It was also delicious; fresh, smooth and beautiful to look at. We could tell that it was superior to others we had tried, although we couldn't say exactly why, and it honestly wasn't just that it was twice the volume of a standard Pisco Sour. Promise. 

We obviously need to sample more before we can detect all the subtleties of this drink. Oh well. Never mind.

Pisco Sours

The war over the ownership of Pisco Sours has been raging between Chile and Peru for many years, and both claim it as their national drink. There are distinct differences between the Peruvian and Chilean Pisco Sour, although I found they become difficult to distinguish after three or four.

Pisco is a clear grape brandy that is produced by both Peru and Chile. It comes in various strengths, but 35-40% proof is the standard in most bars. Some people drink it neat (think very light brandy) but I prefer it in cocktails.

In Peru, Pisco Sours are made by mixing Peruvian Pisco, sugar syrup, lime juice and egg white with ice cubes. This is then poured into an old fashioned glass and garnished with a few drops of Angostura bitters.

In Chile, they are made by mixing Chilean Pisco, lemon juice and sugar with ice cubes and then pouring this into (usually) a champagne flute.

There are obviously some variations, for instance in Chile, lime juice is sometimes used. The most consistent difference is the use of egg white, which makes for a smoother, more viscous cocktail.

Arguments aside, they were delicious wherever we drank them, and we will make it our mission to seek out a bottle of Pisco when we get home.

Santiago Fish Market

One of the best eating experiences in Santiago is at the fish market. It is a huge building of wrought iron that was manufactured in Birmingham in the mid 1800's, and you can see architectural similarities with typical English market halls.

There are numerous stalls selling bass, dorado, merluza and others that we had never heard of. There is a huge array of shellfish too, including the biggest clams I have ever seen, mussels, sea urchins and huge hermit crab type creatures that poke their claws out of their shells.

Chupe de Mariscos 

In addition to gaping at the stalls, you can eat lunch at one of the many restaurants at the centre of the market. These range from stools at a bar where there is no menu and you choose what you'd like by pointing at a fish, to more formal sit-down restaurants with waiters. We ate in a few different restaurants and found them all to serve delicious food at excellent prices. We tried ceviche of bass, which was fresh, spicy and plentiful. Clams coated in Parmesan before baking (a Santiago speciality) were huge and delicious, and not to be eaten too often for the sake of your arteries! Consommé de mariscos was a clear seafood broth with chives and a floating poached egg. Paila de mariscos was a similar broth but this time loaded with mussels, prawns, crab, squid and octopus, and decorated with a huge crab claw. Chupe de mariscos was a stew of seafood and white fish thickened with ground corn and cheese.

The food was always washed down with beer or white wine, with pisco sours for pudding, and was always delicious. Being surrounded by the noise, sights and smells of a bustling market makes for a fantastic atmosphere, and if I had to choose one place to eat in Santiago it would be here.