Pisco'clock

It was still quite a relief not to have to rise at 5am this morning, strap on hiking boots, and scale the next section of the Inca Trail. Although it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience - and one that I would like to repeat at some point in the future - I also enjoyed lying in bed with a cup of tea.

After lazing about and washing all the clothes that bear the stink of four days' camping, we headed down the hill to Cusco's Mercado San Blas for some provisions. We popped by Green Point initially to pick up some of their excellent olive bread but, inevitably, were drawn in by their tempting daily menu.

Buffet salad

The offer of a varied salad, a corn soup, followed by lentejas guisadas (lentil stew) with fried banana and vegan chorizo, and a banana yoghurt, all for only S/.12 was too good to pass up.

Lentil stew

Having lined our stomachs, and with little else planned for the rest of the day, we thought this afternoon would be a good time to sample Peru's famed brandy, Pisco.

Where else to taste the clear fire water, than at El Museo del Pisco. More of a bar than a museum, the walls of the establishment are lined with shelves of dozens of varieties of Pisco as well as bottles and jars containing infusions with anything from coffee, to various fruits, spices and herbs.

Four Horsemen

A Pisco degustación saw us taste four different varieties, exemplifying the various styles. Pisco is a spirit distilled from fermented grape juice, much like a brandy. However, the grape skins are not used and it is kept in metal, glass or ceramic, not wood, and so retains its clear colour. Only the middle third (the 'body' as opposed to the 'head' or 'tail') is used in Peruvian Pisco - a brand that is protected and which is produced only in certain places in the country.

Distilled once to around 40% proof, we learned that Pisco can use aromatic or non-aromatic grapes, either of a single variety (Puro) or a blend (Acholado), or can use grapes that have residual sugars from incomplete fermentation (Mosto Verde). We found that the non-aromatic puro, typically used in cocktails such as the ubiquitous Pisco sour, a little one-dimensional, and the mosto verde was a little soft and sweet, while the acholado and the aromatic puro had a great aroma and complexity.

Of course, we couldn't sample these neat Piscos without also trying the sours. We had a basil- and a thyme-infused Pisco made the Peruvian way with egg white, which not only adds texture but also dilutes the alcohol without adding more sugar or lemon juice.