Just as flavorful dishes can take you back to a place that you have visited before, drinks can do the same thing. Whether it is a fruity tropical drink, a specialty drink for a region, or something that represents the season of the year, drinks can take you to a place in your memories. For this week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Glasses, Cups, Saucers, we decided to look back at some special drinks that we have enjoyed. Perhaps one of this will wet your whistle.
When a friend of ours, who is a bartender, heard that we were going to be in Lima, Peru, he immediately told us that we absolutely had to try a Pisco Sour while we were there. We had never heard of Pisco or a Pisco Sour, but we agreed that we would give it a try. We weren’t disappointed. Pisco is an alcohol that is distilled from grapes and is essentially a brandy. Although we’ve had whiskey sours before, a Pisco Sour is similar in that it utilizes simple syrup and lime juice, but it doesn’t taste at all like a whiskey sour. It basically tastes like a frothy lemonade, but don’t let its sweet taste fool you, it is a strong drink. Just because Pisco is distilled from grapes, it isn’t wine, it is forty percent alcohol, or eighty proof.
One of the reasons that it is so light and airy is that an egg white is added and then it is shaken vigorously. Some places use a blender, but the better Pisco Sours are made using a hand-shaker. The dash of bitters at the end adds to the taste and the presentation. We tried Pisco Sours while in both Lima, Cochabamba, and La Paz with varied results. Ultimately the best Pisco Sour that we had was the first one we tried in Lima. We bought a bottle of Pisco on our way home at the duty-free store in Lima and will be trying our own hands at making Pisco Sours here in the very near future. If you ever get the chance to try them, you definitely should, they are delicious.
Since winter has been lingering around too long here in Colorado, we’ve been longing for the beach and sun. Our solution, a drink that will take you away to memories of an ocean breeze and salt air. There are a lot of ways to make a Mai Tai, but this is the classical way that we used to make it back when we worked at the resort where we first met. It seems especially fitting since today is our 26th wedding anniversary that we share a cocktail that reminds us of when we first met.
Ingredients
Instructions
In a shaker, add ice, the coconut rum, orange juice, pineapple juice and shake vigorously. Pour the punch into a highball glass filled about three-quarters full with ice. Slowly pour the grenadine over punch, it will sink to the bottom of the glass. Float the dark rum onto the top of the punch, either by pouring slowly using a pour-spout or, if you don’t have one, by pouring over the back of a spoon. Garnish with pineapple and maraschino cherries and enjoy. This recipe makes a single cocktail, so feel free to repeat until you can smell the beach. 🙂
