



GLASS



Cocktail glass





PREPARATION



This cocktail must be served very cold, to allow the complexity of the pisco and this amazing vermouth to really stand out. So, despite some recipes advocating that this cocktail be stirred, we're going to shake it, make sure we have plenty of ice in our cocktail shaker, and make sure it is very cold and dry. Pour the pisco and vermouth in the cocktail shaker, and shake vigorously to ensure rapid cooling and no watering down of the ingredients. Strain and serve in a cocktail glass. Twist two lemon peels to bring out the pisco's own essential oils.



The simpler your cocktail, the more important it is to start with the best ingredients. Many bars in Lima will serve this with added bitters, for example, to make up for using an inferior pisco or vermouth.



The vermouth we use here - CARPANO's Antica Formula - is the original vermouth invented by Antonio Benedetto Carpano in Turin, in 1786. It is a very deep and complex vermouth, quite unlike any you've ever tasted. It matches perfectly with the light notes of jasmine and lemon you'll find in this delightful pisco. In fact, Carpano's vermouth is the main reason we're using this particular pisco: unlike the Pisco Sour, which is a lot more forgiving, to make a great Capitán, the Mosto Verde Pentavarietal by Monteluz is an absolute must.





NOTES



The Capitán is a very old cocktail. It was very popular in Lima in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, but actually goes back much further than that.



In many ways, the recipe for vermouth itself owes a lot to Italy's maritime trade with Peru. Back in the 17th and 18th century, Spain prohibited the shipping of wines from the New World, to favour Spanish winemakers. Genoa - which is very close to Turin - became Lima's main shipping and trading partner instead. Wine sent from Lima to Genoa was fortified with grape brandy from the region around Pisco. It was then infused with amazonic bitters such as treebark and quinine in order to last the long journey by ship. The resulting drink was very popular in Genoa, Turin and Milan, where vermouth is most popular even today.



Lima's first non-Spanish migrants were, in fact, mostly merchants from Genoa. The smartest district near the port of Callao, called La Punta, proudly displays the most beautiful Genoese-style villas (called "casonas"). These historic roots are the reason why we would argue that the Capitán is actually more authentic to the city of Lima than the Pisco Sour.



