Drink Recipes: Bamboo Bar's Jamie Rhind shares his favorite pisco cocktail recipe

Pisco is a type of brandy that comes from Peru, which closely oversees its heritage spirit. Pisco can be distilled from only eight grape varietals classified into aromatic and non-aromatic, and produced in three distinct styles (acholado, puro and mosto verde). As a result, different piscos will have different characteristics. While pisco is perfect for simply sipping, its lack of aging makes it very versatile for blending in cocktails. Giving name to such classics like the Pisco Sour, pisco has established itself in modern cocktail culture, with every respected cocktail bar holding space for a bottle of this expressive spirit on its shelf.

Jamie Rhind of The Bamboo Bar at Mandarin Oriental (#7 on Asia’s Top 50 Bars list) demonstrates a simple cocktail recipe packed with Peruvian flavor that can be easily recreated at home. You can also try this drink in November during Peru’s first-ever Pisco Nights in Bangkok, stay tuned for more information.

“Jama Tono is a loose Peruvian term for ‘food party’, which is the same essence we are trying to achieve with this drink – celebrating Peruvian cuisine and Peru’s national spirit to make a party. While this drink is straightforward, it is sure to impress. 

The inspiration comes from one of my favorite Peruvian dishes, ceviche. I love how versatile it is, and how you can play around with the base. My favorite one so far is a vegetarian one I had where the chef opted for pineapple as his base. It was clean and refreshing, and was a sweet compliment to the coriander, chili and lime.”

MAKE IT YOURSELF

Ingredients:

45ml Acholado Pisco (in this case, Demonio de Los Andes)

15ml Giffard Chilli Liquor

60ml Pineapple Juice

20ml Lime Juice

1 Small bunch of Coriander

1 Small chili pepper

Instructions:

• Combine all of the ingredients into a shaker with ice, and shake.
• Strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a small piece of chili pepper.