Pisco and Ceviche

I had never had a Pisco Sour until The Hotel Boliver in Lima. A reccommendation from a friend who was in the navy and was in the know. Wow......talk about knock your socks off! Two (actually they do make a double) will leave you laughing in the street. A mix of the delicious Pisco (made from grapes...smells a little tequila-ish but not really), sugar syrup, lime, bitters and egg white is the secret potion. Hubby and I set off on the quest for the perfect Pisco (unfortunately the best was actually the first! The Boliver Hotel each year wins the title for the "best Pisco in Peru" award).

Pisco is named after Pisco which is situated on the Peruvian coast, south of Lima. The story goes that it is named after the conical vase that it was aged in called a pisco. Pisco is also the cocktail of choice in Chile and Bolivia. The Peruvians and the Chileans having argued for centuries about who in fact invented it..........sounds a little bit pavlova-ish to me. Bloody Kiwis.

Ceviche being one of my all time favorites and a Peruvian National dish - I was in heaven! Luckily Ceviche and pisco compliment each other quite well.

Trout ceviche (which my brother mispronounced in Spanish and ended up ordering a very rude part of the female anatomy!!) was on every menu. The raw fish , diced and marinated in lime juice with fresh herbs and seasoning was incredible.

I also discovered a shooter of ceviche which was loaded up with the peruvian yellow or red chillies - absolutely fantastic. I think we all know a friend who will find the  fish  shake shooter too much to even contemplate...but for those that love it. This is the ultimate shot!

But like the Pisco's not every Ceviche is born equal. This particular ceviche above was the best we had - in Hancao (said Wankao...the townsfolk are known as Wankas...TRUE STORY) up in the mountains in a restaurant whilst we were killing time until siesta had finished and the shops opened (4pm).......why oh why cant we do that here???

So now the quest continues to recreate the Perfect Pisco and the Perfect Ceviche all in time for Christmas lunch when my new Peruvian in laws are coming for lunch!