Spirits: Ultimate Cocktail Challenge--brandy and pisco

The Ultimate Cocktail Challenge put judges in the position of picking the best spirits with selected classic cocktails.

Here are the results for the Brandy/Cognac/Pisco competition I wrote up in the Portland Spirits Examiner:

Brandy/Cognac/Pisco

In the brandy category, French Cognac, American Brandy and Peruvian Pisco were showcased. The field of Cognac was not widely represented by the entries---although there were some choice Cognacs showing their stuff---and the Pisco and American Brandy even less so. A broader list of participants in each category would have been appreciated.

Sidecar
The Chairman’s Trophy was awarded to Camus VS Elegance Cognac, an excellent cognac unfortunately not currently available in Oregon, with a score of 93 points. The second place finalist, only one point away at 92, was Remy-Martin VSOP Cognac.

Stinger
For the Stinger, the top three listed brandies (Camus VSOP Elegance, Camus VS Elegance, and Frapin VS) are not available in Oregon. However, the fourth listed, at 88 points, is the Remy-Martin VSOP Cognac, which is available. From America, E&J VS (87), E&J VSOP (83), and E&J XO (82) were cited.

Brandy Julep
The Remy-Martin VSOP Cognac rebounded with the Julep, scoring 95 points and taking the Chairman’s Trophy! (Note: There’s a belief that a julep must contain mint and bourbon whiskey. Au contraire, according to good bartenders, who will tell you that the julep is an ancient and multi-faceted drink with quite a history, and can be made with any number of spirits---as evidenced by this simple but enticing blend of fragrant cognac, simple syrup and fresh, bruised mint over crushed ice.)

Pisco

Pisco Sour, Pisco Punch, Cocktail Algeria
Perhaps reflecting the fact that pisco, a white, unaged grape brandy from Peru and Chile, is not a major spirit in this country (as yet), only one pisco producer was identified---Macchu Single Grape “Puro” Pisco from Peru, with scores of 95, 91, and 85 for the respective cocktails. No Chairman’s Trophy was awarded, probably because of the lack of competition. Macchu Pisco is not available in Oregon.

When asked about locally available pisco, bartender Jacob Grier, at MetroVino in the Pearl District, immediately said, “Encanto Pisco is my go-to for that category. It’s really high quality, and unlike some cheaper piscos, tastes distinctly like brandy.” The Encanto Pisco seems to be present on quite a few of the back bars in Portland, supporting Grier’s suggestion.

Having been to Peru within the last year, my memories of perfect Pisco Sours are still in my head! Much like otehr alcohols, there appears to be many levels of pisco from seriously cheap to $150 a bottle of the "reserved stuff". Frankly for a product like this, at what point is it a marketing exercise versus something that is seriously worth the price? That I'm not sure...but I had a lotta fun walking up and down the aisle looking

Michael, your trip sounds like it was fun.

Yeah, there's quite a lot of brands, and at varying price points and styles---but most of them don't make it out of Peru. Hope that will change soon, now that there's an apparent resurgence of interest in pisco these days. I'd like to see a better selection here---although right now I'm very happy with the Campo de Encanto Pisco Acholado. That's a great fresh style with just the right amount of grapey aromatic punch and rich, clean expression of fruit.