1. Drinks that Go Down Easy and Give You A Taste
of Peru: Alcoholic Drinks to Try In Peru.
For some who dream of
Peru, Pisco Sour is probably the national drink of Peru and the taste of a Pisco
sour fills it’s gift to the world. their mouth. The
name is a derivative of a
Quechua word. It is a mix of lemon juice, ice, egg whites and Angostura bitters. The
liquor is Peruvian Pisco-and it can be made with both lime or lemon. It came from Peru’s
capital Lima and was invented by an American bartender in the early part of the
twentieth century.
If you have the time to go by Morris’ Bar where the drink was created then you will be in
for a treat. There you will take a sip in the place where the Pisco sour was invented. Of
course, there has been some discourse between Peru and Chile on who invented it. But
the world agrees it was invented in Lima. It’s the national drink here and was spread in
the 1930’s as the most popular drink in California. Chances are you may have already
2. had one-but in Peru it’s part of the pastime and if you try one here it may be a little bit
juicer.
When you travel to Peru the first thing you will notice is how freely in some towns the
alcohol flows. It’s impossible to say no when you have a crowd of people jeering and
offering you a taste. Caja is a beer in Peru, it arrives in crates and is a popular social
drink.
When you order a round they bring you it with two small glasses. That is, one for
drinking and one for spitting. They toast and then the beer is poured over and over until
it is gone and when all that remains is the suds of the bottle; they pour that into the spit
cup and offer it to the next person.
Another traditional drink in Peru is called Chicha. This is made from the Aminoc root or
yucca root and is associated though with maize. It’s made at home in the Andes
mountains. Each area uses a different product to make Chichi.
The ancient Inca used the drink for rituals and there has been evidence found of mills in
Machu Picchu; where researcher believe the
Chichi-Traditional Peruvian drink drinks were made in mass quantities. The
made wit traditionally prepared drink is disappearing from
the country. Only a small handful of
towns are still making it. But the point
is they are still making it!
In the southern region you can buy it
still. It’s sold in “chicherias” which is
usually an empty room at a persons
house. You can easily identify them-look for a
bamboo pole that has red flags and flowers on
it. It is sold in a caporal to be ingested on
site. You can buy a liter and take it home as
well. People love it, say it reduces blood
pressure and it is mixed with other
things to make a variety of drinks.
Did you know that Peru is the country to
have Coca tea? Not like hot cocoa, it’s
literally made from pure cocaine leaves,
but they use it for medicinal properties.
So while this is not an alcoholic drink it
certainly has a kick as well. The rich
green leaves are still chewed by locals
to help them absorb oxygen in the
high Andes Mountains. They also say
it stops altitude sickness in its tracks.
Most people have no interest in
chewing these leaves, unless they are
used to the flavor. That may be why the
Peruvians created the tea, which has a lot of
sugar and a lot of cocaine. It’s something that most
3. travelers partake of in large quantities while they are there. Just make sure if you have
to go back to the states that you do not have to take a drug test.
Besides these hard liquors and beer, Peru produces it’s own versions of
wine. Pisco is another item, a traditional brandy that is the staple of
the sour cocktail we talked about earlier. It was planted by the
Spaniards int he 17th century and according to legend the Spaniards
named it Pisco. Thus, the Peruvians keep that traditional alive.
If you can think of any more interestingly alcoholic drinks to try
in Peru, then let us know.
Sampling Peru will never be a disappointment. Just
remember if you get involved in a group of people you
Coca Tea, made from the leaves of will have to have more than a sip of alcohol. You might
the cocaine plant, are used to reduce in fact find yourself drinking an entire bottle.
altitude sickness and absorb oxygen
in the high mountains.