Pisco punch facts for kids
| Cocktail | |
|---|---|
| Type | Mixed drink |
| Primary alcohol by volume | |
| Served | On the rocks; poured over ice |
| Standard garnish | Cherry and pineapple |
| Standard drinkware |
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| Commonly used ingredients | pisco brandy, pineapple, lime juice, sugar, gum arabic and distilled water |
Pisco punch was a famous drink created by Duncan Nicol. He made it popular at his Bank Exchange Saloon in San Francisco, California, in the late 1800s. The saloon was located in the Montgomery Block building. Today, the Transamerica Pyramid stands in that same spot.
What is Pisco?
Pisco is a type of brandy, a strong drink made from grapes. It was first made in Peru in the late 1500s. Pisco came to San Francisco in the 1830s. Ships brought it from Peru, carried by traders who exchanged animal hides and fats. During the California Gold Rush in 1849, many people in San Francisco could easily find brandy.
Pisco is made from eight special kinds of grapes. These grapes grow in five different regions in Peru. Pisco was the first strong drink made in the Americas. In the 1500s, there were no glass bottles. So, pisco was shipped in clay pots sealed with beeswax.
One early record from 1839 mentions a ship called the Daniel O'Connell. It arrived in Yerba Buena (which is now San Francisco) from Peru. The ship carried many goods, including a good amount of pisco.
The Story of Pisco Punch
The Bank Exchange & Billiard Saloon opened in 1853. It served pisco and other drinks. Over the years, different owners made various punches using pisco. Duncan Nicol became the last owner in 1893. He ran the Bank Exchange until it closed in 1919. This happened because of the Volstead Act, which made alcoholic drinks illegal in the United States.
Duncan Nicol created the special pisco punch recipe. He mixed pisco brandy, pineapple, lime juice, sugar, gum arabic, and distilled water. The punch was very strong. One writer said it "tastes like lemonade but comes back with the kick of a roped steer." Another person joked that "it makes a gnat fight an elephant." Harold Ross, who started The New Yorker magazine, wrote about it in 1937. He said pisco punch tasted like lemonade but had a "kick like vodka, or worse."
Pisco Punch became famous worldwide. Travelers like Mark Twain and Harold Ross wrote about it. In Rudyard Kipling's book From Sea to Sea (1899), he described pisco punch in a very poetic way. He said it was "compounded of the shavings of cherub's wings, the glory of a tropical dawn, the red clouds of sunset and the fragments of lost epics by dead masters."
Sadly, when prohibition started, the Bank Exchange closed. Duncan Nicol passed away soon after. People say he took the exact recipe for pisco punch with him. Even today, different versions of the drink are still made in San Francisco.
External links
- Summary of radio interview: KGO-ABC 810AM "Dining Around with Gene Burns", the most popular foodie radio program of San Francisco, telling us about Peruvian gastronomy and the historical relation of Peruvian Pisco brandy with the City by the Bay.
See also
In Spanish: Pisco punch para niños
