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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
Portón Cocktails
Recipes by Roberto Rosa

Inca Summer:
1.5 oz Portón
.75 oz Campari
2 Strawberries
.5 oz lime
.5 oz simple syrup
rinse of mescal
garnish with aji panca and salt
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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
By Michael Hepworth

​
What exactly is GRAND BRULOT I thought to myself as I opened the bottle for the first time just around the time this lockdown took effect. Well, Grand Brulot is listed as a VSOP Cognac Café and it can be used in Bloody Mary’s, Manhattans, Negronis, Martinis, spritzes and sidecars , just for starters. It is a blend of Ugni Blanc & Colombard that is crafted into 80 proof VSOP. Then 100% Robusta Ecuadorian coffee bean essence is extracted and blended with brandy to meld for a few months and finally, it is blended with the VSOP Cognac. There is also a whiff of peppermint, nutmeg and hot cocoa in the drink. The retail price is $42.99.

The idea for the drink was instigated in 2015 by John Bernbach who asked for the help of industry veteran Francisco Tonarely to investigate the potential of a cognac/brandy drink blended with coffee. Three year later in August 2018 Grand Brulot was launched. This cognac comes from the Tardy Cognac Group and the grapes come from its single estate. Grand Brulot also plays homage to a New Orleans specialty of the same name that is still served around town.  The name Grand Brulot was inspired by the famous French pirate Jean Lafite who helped New Orleans repel the British invaders in 1812. He would order coffee, pour cognac in the saucer, set it alight and mix it with the coffee.
Recipes:

THE RISE AND SHINE
2 oz Grand Brulot
Orange Twist

Just pour Grand Brulot over ice and the orange will highlight the flavors
of the spirit.

BRULOT BLACK MANHATTAN
1 oz Grand Brulot
1 oz Bourbon
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
3 dashes Orange Bitters

Bartender Todd Smith created this one. Stir all the ingredients together in
a mixing glass. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass with ice and garnish

with orange wheel.

FRENCH NEGRONI
1 oz Grand Brulot
1 oz  Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Campari

Build in a rocks glass over ice and garnish w/orange wheel.

GRAND BRULOT CAFÉ HOLIDAY
1 oz Grand Brulot
0.5 oz Crème de Cacao
3 oz Porter Beer or Stout
3 dashes of bitters

Throw cocktail ingredients between two cups a couple of times to mix
And ignite the foam from the beer. Pour into a highball glass over ice
And garnish with nutmeg.



www.grandbrulot.com
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