For today’s #DrinkYourGram creation, I’m shaking up a Pisco cocktail made with Chai, Cranberry and Port thanks to your votes! Want to learn how this Peruvian Christmas inspired cocktail is made? Head down below for details!
I thought it would be good to shake up a holiday cocktail that uses a spirit that’s rarely used here in North America. That is the humble Pisco, which lead to this delicious Peruvian Christmas creation. I asked my #DrinkYourGram community to vote on the following, and here were the results:
Pisco (57%) vs Cachaca
Spruce Tips vs Chai (56%)
Shaken (64%) vs Stirred
Cranberry (59%) vs Peppermint
Choosing the right Pisco for your Peruvian Christmas
It’s a given that I’ll always work with Pisco from Peru. We don’t get a ton of Chilean expressions here, and I am biased to some phenomenal people from Pisco, Peru. Now I know I could’ve made this simple and combined Pisco, Chai and Cranberry juice together as is, but I wanted a bit more layers. I wanted that touch of complexity, and that’s when the amaro came in.
A dash of Amaro can go a LONG way in this cocktail. I decided to use the Amaro Montenegro because that’s all I had. Between that and the Amara, I didn’t want to introduce another flavour to get convoluted with what was already happening with the cocktail. Plus with the Amara having Blood Orange and I having used that flavour a lot lately, I decided against it. Now I had thought about using a Dash of Irish Whiskey instead. Again, I’ve been using a lot of that too, so I decided to use Amaro instead! It’s all about experimenting with what’s in your bar. Don’t be shy to test out of some the variations I mentioned above.
Chai Syrup
Tea Syrups are so easy to create at home! Equal parts sugar and water come together and allow the chai to steep through and you’ve got yourself a unique syrup to use in so many ways. To create this at home, I simply combined 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 cup boiled water. Give this a stir while it’s still pipping hot and add your chai tea bag. Let this sit for 20 minutes until it reaches room temperature and you can use in your cocktail!
Why Port?
The port was the initial pairing I had in mind for the cocktail, but it actually fell flat and needed something else. But what I like that the port does is add a sweetener component, complexity, body (thanks to the wine) and the flavours tend to match perfectly with the holiday season. It’s just a simple splash of this, but it goes a long way (think of how vermouth can compliment a cocktail). You could do without if you don’t have Port around the house. So with that, I would then recommend adding a splash of red wine. It will have a ton more acid than port, so then I would balance that off by adding a touch more chai syrup than what is said in the recipe card below.
Using 100% Cranberry Juice
This is a MUST! Do not get that Cranberry Splash c**p. It’s too sweet and not at all what I was going for this in this cocktail. You NEED the acid and I only get that with the real stuff. If for SOME REASON you can’t find the 100% cranberry juice, squeeze in some lemon to help bring that up a bit in the cocktail.
Peruvian Christmas
A pisco driven cocktail that's perfect for the season combining Pisco, Amaro, Port, Chai and Cranberry!
– Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 2 oz Pisco
- 1/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
- 1/4 oz Port Wine
- 1 oz Cranberry Juice 100% Cranberry (not that fake stuff)
- 1/2 oz Chai Tea Syrup
Instructions
Place your coupe in the freezer while you start to build your cocktail.
In a shaker, combine all the ingredients and ice and give this a vigorous shake.
Double Strain into chilled coupe. Optional Lemon Peel Garnish.
Curious to find more Pisco recipes? Head over to this link for more Pisco inspired creations!
