"The Pisco, a Beloved Tradition"

 Where Pisco is Followed in the Lives of Peruvians

Federico Flores Galindo, known in the literary circle of the nineteenth century by the pseudonym Dalmiro, published a praise of Peruvian food and drinks. As if anticipating what another folkloric writer, Adán Felipe Mejía, known as El Corregidor, would do many years later, he poetically praised succulent bacon, sweet potatoes, tender corn, boiled potatoes, mote, robust sausages, and Creole stew. In harmonious verses, he referred to the sweetness of bean desserts, Guatemalan bread, Chancay biscuits, and tortillas "with plenty of lard and onion." And he registered in graceful poems his reminiscences of the taste of wine, chicha de jora, and grape brandy:

"I am going to sing the festivities of the Cercado
Since I celebrated the soup in Huacho;
It is a celebrated stroll in Lima
That has fame even in cultured Europe.
There, the improvised spicy is made,
Pisco is drunk in a crystalline glass,
And when the lover least thinks
He obtains the reward of his love."

Shortly thereafter, José Gálvez, to whom Ricardo Palma had bequeathed his chronicler's pen of old Lima, recounted that in the festivities of yesteryears, to the sound of drums and the strumming of guitars, while the singers unfolded in the air the melancholic verses of a waltz and the couples interpreted the rhythm with the cadence of their bodies, conversation and joy flowed as if impelled by music and the "alborotador quitapesares." Creole festivals that extended beyond obligations, entrapments of several days, where solidarity in spending and common endeavor to enjoy every moment were the main characteristic.

At those parties, "according to ancient custom, the Pisco, which was good and legitimate, was kept in an earthen jug and the key to the orchard was thrown in, which could not be removed until all the sacred liquid was consumed."

As Federico Blume had said at some point: "When the people have fun, it is almost always based on Pisco." The crystalline drink had enthroned itself in popular celebrations and in soirées of tailcoats and evening gowns. The ways of serving and drinking differed, but Pisco was always present.

In his novel "Los Cojinovas," Manuel Moncloa y Covarrubias not only offers the picture of a Creole celebration but also describes how, in that kind of silent competition of tastes and bacchic affections, Pisco was asserting itself: "They drank again. Garnier then asked for beer, and Manonga accompanied him with a shot of Pisco, rolling his eyes and giving a half turn at the end that showed even his calves. "The Frenchman repeated. Relleno took out the bottle and a glass, and the label from the first moments disappeared. "Half an hour later, Pisco prevailed, and here and there, one could hear: 'My love goes with you!,' 'It will be reciprocated!,' 'Without a crown, I am not a son of a friar!,' 'Until I see you again, my Christ!,' 'I want to know your secrets!,' 'Don't be smooth!... and other combatant voices. "Meanwhile, Monsieur Garnier, half drunk, embraced Manonga, who whispered in his ear: 'Monsieur, if you are Francis, show the wounds.'"

Popular Recipe Book

The presence of Pisco in the main events of the daily life of Peruvians accounts for its definitive incorporation into the national cultural heritage. The inventiveness of the people of these lands is also reflected in the preparation of various cocktails whose main ingredient is "pure grape Pisco." Undoubtedly, the "Pisco Sour" is the most celebrated of them all, and its renown has transcended the borders of Peru.

Since ancient times, the warm flavor of Pisco stirs up the spirited conversation, the peppery banter of the men of these lands. And it is the "alborotador quitapesares" that circulates from hand to hand, in the collective rituals of life and death. Paraphrasing the poet Acisclo Villarán, we will finally say that it is the holy remedy for sorrow, ailments, and worries:

"That's what can't be explained,
I can't see clearly, I'm cross-eyed;
But reason tells me
That no one dies in ICA
With the remedy in Pisco."

The End

"CHRONICLES AND ACCOUNTS REFERRING TO THE ORIGIN AND VIRTUES OF PISCO,
TRADITIONAL BEVERAGE AND HERITAGE OF PERU,
Banco Latino, Lima Peru 1990."

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