The building was completed in 1972- the time capsule is from 1974. Before that, from 1853-1959, it was the Montgomery Block that hosted the Bank Exchange Saloon. The Bank Exchange was the home of the Pisco Punch, the most famous cocktail in SF from roughly 1870-1920. Duncan Nicol, mentioned in the pictures, was the proprietor of the Bank Exchange in its later decades, and the person who popularized the Pisco Punch. He took his secret recipe to his grave.
I’ve left these images purposefully crappy to encourage you to go see it yourself!
Last year while on a trip to Peru with Pisco Porton, we took a side trip to Las Islas Ballestas near the town of Paracas. The islands are important bird habitats, but more importantly they're covered in bird poop.
Peru is an exciting country for drink nerds like me, as it is the birthplace of the potato, pisco, and the cinchona tree that produces quinine for tonic water. I didn't realize until recently that it was also the birthplace of the international guano industry, perhaps the world's first exported industrial fertilizer.
Guano, the bird poop that covers these ocean islands, is high in nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, according to this surprisingly rich guano history page on Wikipedia. It is such a good fertilizer that it was exported to Europe in an era of Peruvian history from the 1840s to the 1870s called The Guano Age.
(Much of the harvest of guano was performed by Chinese indentured servants, which is probably only interesting to me in that the same populations were dragged around the world to harvest sugar cane after slavery was abolished; another tie-in to the global booze business.)
Recently, DNA testing has revealed that the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-52 may have been caused by new potato varieties imported along with Peruvian guano to Europe.
And the end of international potato blight was the development of even more agro-chemicals, this time synthetic ones designed to cure the potato of the disease.
History is amazing.
Here are some pictures from my visit to Las Islas Ballestas.
In 2014 I visited Peru with Pisco Porton. In this post, I wanted to write up some places I visited in the city of Lima. I was only in town for about a day in a half, so I didn't see much.
Cocktail Bars and Restaurants in Lima
Johnny Schuler's Key Club
This restaurant is sort of like a speakeasy bar: It's open to the public, but there is no sign so you've gotta just know where it is. It looks very much like a place politicians and other power players would dine. I ate there with Schuler, who is the distiller of Porton. (He has a long history as a restaurateur and pisco television host before running his own distillery.)
This funky restaurant and bar in the Miraflores district specializes in fresh juices and herbs, with Amazonian ingredients in the food and drink and decor. There is a small central bar, lots of tables and chairs, and another dining room with wicker/rattan umbrellas over the top.
This restaurant has the same chef-owner as amaZ, but it's located in the San Isidro district. While it looked to be a ice restaurant, I sat at the bar and made friends with the bartender Jesus Avila Sovero. The restaurant is reportedly known for its Pisco Punch, which was sweet but nice. I also had a Chilcano (pisco and ginger ale) with anise; one with purple rice-infused pisco, tonic, and orange juice; and another with yellow tomatillo (that they call gooseberries).
The name means "buggy" or more likely "carriage" as you can see reflected in the hilarious laminated menu. Actually the whole place was pretty silly (located super close to Malabar) but I liked it. It is known for its traditional Pisco Sours, which are served double size.
You can get those from a pre-batch or try any of the 16 pisco infusions featured on a shelf of jars. I had a Chilcano with camu-camu-infused pisco, as well as a touch of canela (cinnamon) pisco. I also tried the Algarrobina, which is sort of like eggnog but made with bean syrup. It was weirdly good.
This is a fancy/trendy restaurant adjacent to an ancient temple site from a civilization dating to 1000 years before the Incas. However it mostly looks like a pile of bricks.
The restaurant has a beautiful view though, over the ruins toward part of the city.
In other posts, I've written about the pisco distilleries that I visited along the pisco trail, aka La Ruta Del Pisco. This post is an overview of getting to the pisco region, where to stay, and things to see.
As you can see from the below maps, to tour pisco distilleries there is a long drive from Lima (the northernmost pin on the map) down the west coast of Peru to Ica, the southernmost cluster, passing the pisco producing towns of Chincha and Pisco.
In Ica we visited La Caravedo, the distillery that produces Pisco Porton. They were the host of my trip.
Here is a guidebook (PDF format) about visiting pisco distilleries in Ica. It's in Spanish but it has detailed information about distillery visits.
Should you want to arrange a tour or book a visit of the distilleries from Lima, Porton recommends using LimaTours or ContactTours.
Sights along the Ruta Del Pisco
As you can see, there are several pins on the map. The topmost is Lima, then the next pin along the ocean the Asia district. This is a seaside town and beach that seems mostly filled with local families. We stopped off for a great meal there at the modern restaurant El Piloto, but I'm not sure there is much else there to see for the international tourist.
The next two pins mark the city of Chincha and the distillery for Vinas de Oro.
The next pin out in the water are the islands called Las Islas Ballestas, which are important for bird habitat and the production of guano.
The district from which one takes a boat to Las Islas Ballestas is called Paracas. It is the most stylish of the towns we visited, with fancy hotels and it's where the wealthy residents of Lima come to relax. There are several large resort hotels, and it's probably the nicest place to stay if touring the pisco region of Ica, even though it's a big drive to Ica from there.
Ica is the city with lots of pisco distilleries, including La Caravedo (Porton), Bodega El Catador, and Hotel El Carmelo. On the outskirts of town is the oasis Huacachina.
Last year I visited 5 distilleries in Peru with Pisco Porton (read about that visit here and here): Vinas de Oro, Tres Generaciones, Lovera, Hotel El Carmello, and La Caravedo where Porton is made. This post is about my visit to El Carmelo in the region of Ica, Peru.
El Carmelo is an unusual property, a quirky hotel and restaurant as well as a distillery. We only stopped in for dinner so I didn't learn much about it. The property's website is here.
It was dark so I didn't get great pics. Two are below.
Lovera is located in the village of Guadalupe in the region of Ica where there are around 120 distilleries. We were between places and decided to pop in on our way somewhere.
This distillery is particularly rustic. Unlike most that have switched to stainless steel fermentation tanks, at Lovera they ferment in the traditional clay/ceramic botijas. Those are the tall containers you see located around distilleries.
We didn't really learn much about the production process here as we were just popping in, but we did stop in at the "bar," which was a single box under a canopy with a few chairs around it.
There were a couple of what I assume are the regulars. The guy on the right has a radio he is wearing around his neck.
Besides the pisco that they make there, we also had some of the local aperitif that they call "quita calzon" aka "panty remover." It is also called "perfecto amor" and in the US, the brand BarSol imports one. It is an aperitif drink; a combination of grape juice and pisco.
In other countries, the similar aperitif (made from unfermented juice and the distilled product of that same juice) is called pineau des charantes (cognac), Floc de Gascogne (armagnac), and Pommeau (Calvados).
While at the bar, Porton's distiller Johnny Schuler told us the traditional way of drinking shots of pisco while sitting around in a group, as we were at this bar. One pours a shot into a shot glass, then pass the bottle to the next person. Then you take the shot and shake out the glass on the ground before passing the shot glass to the person with the bottle. Cheers.
Tres Generaciones is one of a few names you'll find used for this distillery tourist stop. The compound is called Tres Esquinas, and it also contains the restaurant La Olla de Juanita.
The distillery was founded in 1856. There is one distillery, but five families have the rights to use it. The distiller is Juanita Gonzalez.
The distillery has both types of stills used in pisco, the old-school falcas and the "modern" alembics that are the typical copper pot stills we usually see.
As mentioned in a previous post about Pisco Porton's distillery La Caravedo, falcas are stills that are built as pits. The top part (at ground level) is a cap to open the still. It has no bubble shape on top like a traditional alembic, nor a lynne arm/swan's neck: It pretty much is a box with a tube near the top taking off the steam.
The steam is condensed in a typical copper coil, suspended in a big pool.
The alembic stills look pretty standard, though they tend to be encased in brick (like cognac stills).
We tasted a 60% ABV pisco right off the still, and it was soft, smooth, earthy, and grapey. Not citrusy at all and totally drinkable even at that proof. More than most spirits, pisco tastes delicious right off the still. I suppose it helps that by law it will never be watered down after its single distillation.
Below are a few more pictures from the distillery and restaurant.
Last year I visited 5 distilleries in Peru with Pisco Porton (read about that visit here and here): Vinas de Oro, Tres Generaciones, Lovera, Hotel El Carmello, and La Caravedo where Porton is made. This post is about my visit to Vinas de Oro in the region of Chincha, Peru.
Chincha is a pisco-producing town south of Lima, on the way to Ica where all the other Peruvian distilleries I visited are located.
Vinas de Oro opened in 1983. According to Porton's distiller Johnny Schuler, Vinas De Oro's distiller began with a 5-liter still and now is in charge of this big operation of 8 alembic-style stills. (Older distilleries tend to have falca stills.)
We visited the distillery near the end of the grape harvest. Workers were picking grapes off the vines in front of the distillery. According to the website, they grow, "seven types of Pisco grapes (aromatic: Italia, moscatel, torontel, albilla and non aromatic: quebranta, common black and mollar)."
After the grapes are harvested, they are de-stemmed (to avoid tannins that would get magnified during distillation), then pressed with a bladder press to release the must (juice). The must is given a rough filtration.
The juice is fermented for about 10 days (no yeast is added), so that it reaches around 10% ABV. The fermentation temperature is kept low (around 15 degrees Celsius) in order to retain aromatics from the grapes.
The wine is then distilled one time, as is the law. The pisco then rests for at least 10 months in stainless steel tanks.
The distillery bottles 6 puro piscos (individual grape varietals) and an acholado (blend). They also make mosto verde piscos, for which the grapes are not fully fermented before distillation to make the flavor fuller. They make mosto verde pisco out of three of their grape varietals.
In 2014 I visited La Caravedo, the distillery where they make Pisco Porton. In this distillery there are really two distilleries, the old one dating to 1684 with primitive falca stills, and the shiny new one with copper pot/alembic stills.
For Peruvian pisco (as opposed to Chilean – much Chilean pisco is column-distilled and and aged in wood), here are the laws of production:
It must be made from one or more of 8 approved grape varietals. Aromatic grapes are Torontel, Italia, Albilla and Moscatel. Nonaromatics are Quebranta, Negra Criolla, Uvina and Mollar.
These piscos made with the grapes can either be "puro," of all one variety; or "acholado," a blend of more than one.
They must be distilled a single-time in a falca or pot still.
Pisco must be distilled to a final proof of between 38 and 48 percent alcohol. Water is not allowed to be added to bring it down to final proof.
It must be stored in nonreactive vessels (no wood barrels).
"Mosto verde" pisco is made from grapes that are not fully fermented before distillation. This requires around 40 percent more grapes to produce. Mosto verde pisco can be made from any of the eight approved varietals or be a blend/acholado.
Porton Actually Has 3 Sets of Stills
Falcas, the old style stills at La Caravedo
Pot/Alembic stills at La Caravedo
Cognac-style pot stills at another of their vineyards
This means that for any one grape varietal, they could make 3 different distillates as each still will produce a slightly different spirit. And they do.
How Porton Is Blended
Pisco Porton is an acholado mosto verde, meaning it's a blend of mosto verde distillates. The 2014 bottling blend is:
Mosto Verde Quebranta distilled in falca stills at La Caravedo
Mosto Verde Quebranta distilled in alembic/pot stills at La Caravedo
Mosto Verde Quebranta distilled in cognac-style stills
Mosto Verde Italia distilled in cognac-style stills
Mosto Verde Abilla distilled in cognac-style stills
Mosto Verde Torontel distilled in falca stills at La Caravedo
The blend is:
70% Quebranta
1% Albilla
25% Torontel
4% Italia
Filtration:
After distillation, the spirit is rested. Then it is filtered before bottling.
First they chill the spirit to help precipitation naturally. No filter is used.
Then they use a cationic filter, which is a mix of resin and paper. This removes mineral and copper. (When we tasted un-blended piscos, a coppery note definitely showed through so it's clear this is needed.)
Component and Blend Tasting
While at the distillery, I was able to taste several single grape varietals, in puro or mosto verde puro form. It was fascinating how different the varietals of grapes tasted from each other, and how different the same varietal could taste when put through a different still.
(Reminder, my tasting notes aren't supposed to make sense to other people.)
Puro quebranta albembic-distilled 15 days ago (not mosto verde): Chex Mix, corn flakes, yeasty
Negra criolla (not sure which still or when distilled): Cantaloupe, wet wood finish
Albilla (not sure which still or when distilled): Fresh-picked blueberries, minerals, caramel
Moscatel mosto verde (not sure which still or when distilled): Dirt and violets.
Italia column-distilled (so not pisco): Green tea mochi
When I tasted the 2014 Pisco Porton blend, I could pick up so many of those individual grape varietal notes it all came together and I appreciate it so much more than I did in the past. It is complex with earthy minerals, musty, wet wood, deep structure, and grapey. I can't wait to taste it again.
Hacienda La Caravedo is the oldest working distillery in the Americas and the place where they make Pisco Porton. It's located in Ica, Peru, about a four hour drive south of Lima. I visited in the spring of 2014.
The distillery dates to 1684. Below is a picture of the document establishing the distillery.
The grounds hold the distillery, vineyards, and this huge house, which is newly-constructed.
You might recognize it from the bottle label. The house belongs to the owners of the brand. They were preparing for Easter when I visited so I didn't get to peep inside.
The vineyards are located between the house and the Andes mountains you can see in the background.
The Old Part of the Distillery
The distillery is an imaginative combination of the very old part dating to the 1600s and a very new part dating back a couple of years.
The original distillery was all run by gravity. A schematic from the Porton brand book is below. The process goes grapes to juice to resting to fermentation to distillation to resting again.
The grapes would come in from the winery and be carried up the stairs into a large circular pit with drains. That shallow (a few feet deep) pit is under the central round canopy in the picture below.
People would stomp on the grapes to release the juice, which would flow down to the next level for resting and fermentation.
Then in the part where the square canopy is, grapes would be further crushed using the old grape screw press.
The grape juice ran down into a set of vats. They would allow the juice to sit together with the grape skins for a day. Pisco Porton still does this step, which distiller Johnny Schuler says is unusual.
Then the juice is transferred to another adjacent vat and fermented. The below picture shows the maceration and fermentation vats in the old distillery.
From the fermentation vat, the wine flows through a channel over to the old stills. Somehow I didn't get a picture of the channel, but it's a small open cement trough that runs across the lawn at ground level.
The old style stills at La Caravedo and other distilleries are called falcas. The top of the stills are at ground level (where the wine runs in), and the bottom is a level down. These old-style stills don't have a bubble cap like a typical pot still; they're like big boxes with a pipe running out the side. On top they're just a big copper cap.
These particular copper falcas, built into the original distillery's footprint, are probably 150-200 years old.
The stills are wood-fired from below.
After the spirit comes off the still (from a pipe on the side rather than through a swan's neck like in a pot still) it passes into the next chamber, the condenser.
The condenser is just a big pool with a copper coil running through it. The vapor from the still condenses back into liquid as it travels around the coil deeper into the pool.
Here is a view from the top of the pool, which is at the same level as the top of the falca.
Then in the next chamber down at the bottom of the pit the spirit is received. From a full distillation of 1500 liters, they produce 450 liters of pisco puro or 250 liters of pisco mosto verde (more on that in another post).
Peruvian pisco is distilled a single time, not twice like almost every other spirit in the world.
In the olden days, pisco would then have been rested in botijas, the ceramic/clay vases seen in every pisco distillery (often just for decoration now that we have cement and stainless stell).
The New Part of the Distillery
The new part of the distillery is a tall building of cement and glass, located across a small courtyard from the grape press structure. This is a view of the new distillery from the top of the grape press.
The fountain in the picture isn't just an aesthetic touch. The water used to cool the condensing steam from distillation heats up and needs to be cooled. At La Caravedo, they shoot that hot water up the fountain to cool in the air, a trick I haven't seen used at any other distillery.
Inside the distillery are rows of huge stainless steel tanks. These hold the fermenting wine.
On either side of the distillery are gargantuan cement tanks for holding the distilled pisco. Pisco always rests after distillation. In the old days, it rested in the ceramic botijas jugs. These cement tanks, which are on the outsides of the distillery to catch the sun, are meant to mimic the resting in botijas.
The still room is enclosed by glass. The stills are traditional copper pot stills, with round caps on top. Thus these produce a different spirit than the old-style falcas.
So, now we know the two ways that pisco is distilled and rested at La Caravedo in the modern and ancient distilleries on the property. In the next post we'll look at how these technologies are combined to give us the mosto verde blend of Pisco Porton. [Here is the post.]
Below are some more pictures from the grounds and my awesome day at the distillery.
