Pisco Portón Dinner at Chelsea's Raymi Restaurant
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By Doug Singer
On Wednesday, May 14th Raymi's Chef Eric Ramirez and Portón Master Distiller, Johnny Schuler delivered the ultimate pairing—their combined talents in the kitchen and the distillery for what was a remarkable culinary journey that was highlighted by quite simply the best pisco available on the market today. Combining rich Peruvian history with the exotic flavors of three grape varietals, Portón takes even the most experienced palate on a surprising journey. Although natural yeast is an ingredient of pisco, it is the rich grapes and the fact that it is hand-crafted in small batches that give Portón its flavor and structure. Portón is an acholado, or blended pisco made from Quebranta, Albilla and Torontel grapes. Quebranta is a non-aromatic varietal that evolved on the Peruvian coast. It is most popularly used to make puro piscos and gives body and fullness of the flavor to Portón. Albilla is a fragrant green grape with a soft and fruity taste structure. It is prized for its smooth finish. Torontel grapes have a strong citrus and peach aroma and its expression in the glass is alive with heady aromatic complexity. Portón Master Distiller, Johnny Schuler, is one of the foremost Pisco authorities in the world and this clearly shows up in the glass. They use the mosto verde method for making its pisco, which means that the distillate is made from must (grape juice) that has not completely fermented. This serves to keep some of the natural grape sugars from converting into alcohol and retains more of the original flavor and aroma of the grape. Because less of the sugar is converted to alcohol, close to 20 pounds of grapes must be used to make just one liter of pisco (compared to 12 pounds of grapes to make other piscos). This is at the core of what makes this in my opinion, the best available. www.piscoporton.com
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Lima-Colada 2 oz Portón .75 oz Pineapple Syrup .5 oz lemon 1 oz of Blended black tea, coconut, chai spices, pineapple juice, and agave .5 oz lychee Verano en Huascaran 1.5 Portón .75 Montenegro .5 honey .5 lime Fill with Cristal beer |
