Little Birdy (Death & Co. Recipe)

This is a wonderfully approachable cocktail. This is one case where I am not lamenting my purchase of Chileanl pisco, because I was glad that its relative tastelessness took on the infusion flavors so well. 

It starts with strawberry and pineapple pieces soaking in pisco for about a week. This is a perfect flavor combination that is a little bit tropical and a little familiar. Interestingly, the pineapple in the pisco still has a slight foaming effect that pineapple juice tends to provide--like a vegetarian foam. 

Then St-Germain and citrus juices balance out to make for a candy-like cocktail that is really a different taste experience. A little sweet, but so many changes in the waves of flavors you detect as they wash over your tongue. I would do this one again with a different spirit, maybe with a fruitier Peruvian pisco.

• 2 oz. strawberry and pineapple infused pisco
• 1/2 oz. St-Germain
• 3/4 oz. Grapefruit juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. simple syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice, then strain into a coupe. 

 

Piscola (Chilean with Mexican Coke)

At China Chilcano I tried the Piscola, a Pisco & Coke, with Mexican Coke. Pisco Control C is Chilean pisco that is unaged and drier than some piscos. It is made from muscatel and Pedro Ximenez grapes. It stands out more than a Coke and Bacardi, with its floral nose.

Mexican Coke is another find at China Chilcano because it is made with real sugar. This tastes less bitter than the U.S. formula and is very suited to mixing with pisco.

• 2 oz. pisco (Control C used at China Chilcano)
• Coke (Mexican used)
• lime wedge

Build drink in a Collins glass with pisco and ice. Top with coke and garnish with the lime slice. 

Chufly (China Chilcano)

Singani is the national spirit of Bolivia, and the Chufly is the main cocktail they do with it. Singani is an all grape juice spirit that is made from muscat grapes grown at a very high altitude. It is not aged in oak, so it is clear in color, but has a wonderfully floral and sometimes spicy flavor. Singani is sweet, usually sweeter than pisco, the grape spirit made in neighboring Peru and Chile.

So the Chufly is not a Spanish word. Nor is the cocktail something that the Spanish would have drank when they introduced distilling to Bolivia hundreds of years ago. As with many South American traditions, there's a bit of a rivalry between countries who claim they started them. The Chufly is nearly identical to the Chilcano of Chile, a pisco, lime juice and ginger ale drink. The difference is that the Chufly is not served long but in a rocks glass with less ginger ale so you can taste the singani. I had a bartender make this one with Rujero Singani

• 2 oz. Singani (Rujero used at China Chilcano)
• 1 oz. lime juice
• ginger ale
• lime slice

Build drink in an Old Fashioned glass with singani and lime juice first. Add ice and top with ginger ale. Stir gently and garnish with lime slice.