We hope everyone is having a happy and fun weekend thus far, and to help we’ve got a new recipe for you to try. As you know, Cinco De Mayo is right around the corner, and we all know what that means; Margarita’s, shots of tequila, and all sorts of tomfoolery. Having tasted so many margaritas in my 11 years of drinking, there comes a time when you start to venture out and try new things and create variations on popular drinks. One recipe I came across was called the South American Margarita. It’s nothing complicated, and it’s downright delicious. It features Pisco instead of Tequila. For those of you unfamiliar Pisco is a colorless (or slightly yellow) brandy that originates in South America (Peru and Chile to be exact but that’s a WHOLE OTHER conversation). I was first introduced to Pisco back in my liquor clerk days when a new part time hire of ours was always pushing it to the customers. We had one or two brands on the shelf but I never knew what it was or cared to find out, but seeing our new hire’s passion for it, I asked “What’s the big deal with Pisco”. Little did I know not only was he passionate about it, but he was from Peru, and thus knew how big a contributor it is to his countries economy and history. So I learned a lot that day and over the course of our working together and haven’t looked back since. I rarely get the chance to use it in mixology but didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity. With Cinco just a week away, we suggest venturing out this year, and in between all those bottomless margaritas using the bottome shelf stuff, try one of these. For today’s purposes we’ll be using Kappa Pisco. Check out their website to see if it’s available near you. If not, visit your local package store/bar and see what brands they offer in substitution.

South American Margarita

1 1/2oz KAPPA Pisco

1/2 oz Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge

1/2 oz agave nectar

1 oz fresh lime juice

Shaken, strained over fresh ice into rocks glass, garnish lime wheel.

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