Pisco punch
Encyclopedia
Pisco punch was an alcoholic beverage invented by Duncan Nicol at a bar named Bank Exchange at the end of the 19th century, in San Francisco, California. The Bank Exchange was located in south-east corner of the intersection of the Montgomery and Washington streets, in the Montgomery Block
building, where the Transamerica Pyramid
now stands.
is a late 16th century brandy made from grapes that originated in the Viceroyalty of Peru
. It was available in San Francisco since the 1830s when it was first brought from Pisco, Peru via ship by rawhide and tallow
traders trading with California towns. During the California Gold Rush
of 1849 the brandy was readily available in San Francisco.
The grapes grown are Muscat grapes. . They grow on the volcanic soil in and around the port of Pisco. Pisco brandy was the first distilled spirit made in the new world. As there were no glass bottles in the 16th century, the brandy was shipped in ceramic (clay) containers sealed with beeswax. The wax marinated the brandy, giving it a half-tone of honey flavor.
"In 1839, early in the year, the brig 'Daniel O'Connell,' an English vessel, arrived at Yerba Buena from Payta, Peru, with a cargo of Peruvian and other foreign goods, having on board a considerable quantity of pisco or italia, a fine delicate liquor manufactured at a place called Pisco.
.
Duncan Nicol invented a pisco punch recipe using: pisco brandy, pineapple
, lime juice
, sugar
, gum arabic
and distilled water
. The punch was so potent that one writer of the day wrote "it tastes like lemonade but comes back with the kick of a roped steer." Others said "it makes a gnat
fight an elephant." Harold Ross
, founder of The New Yorker
magazine wrote in 1937: "In the old days in San Francisco there was a famous drink called Pisco Punch, made from Pisco, a Peruvian brandy... pisco punch used to taste like lemonade but had a kick like vodka, or worse."
Pisco Punch gained fame worldwide thanks to pieces written by travelers including Mark Twain and Harold Ross (founder of New Yorker magazine). In Rudyard Kipling's 1889 epic From Sea to Sea, he immortalized Pisco Punch as being "compounded of the shavings of cherub's wings, the glory of a tropical dawn, the red clouds of sunset and the fragments of lost epics by dead masters" Unfortunately, Prohibition closed the doors of the Bank Exchange; and Duncan Nicol died soon thereafter- supposedly taking the exact recipe to his grave.
Regional topics
Video Summary of radio interview: KGO-ABC 810AM "Dining Around with Gene Burns", the most popular foodie radio program of San Francisco, telling us about Peruvian gastronomy and the historical relation of Peruvian Pisco brandy with the City by the Bay.
Montgomery Block
The Montgomery Block was San Francisco's first fireproof and earthquake resistant building. It was located at 628 Montgomery Street, on the south-east corner of the intersection of Montgomery and Washington streets....
building, where the Transamerica Pyramid
Transamerica Pyramid
The Transamerica Pyramid is the tallest skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline and one of its most iconic. Although the building no longer houses the headquarters of the Transamerica Corporation, it is still strongly associated with the company and is depicted in the company's logo...
now stands.
History of Pisco brandy
PiscoPisco
Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber colored grape brandy produced in winemaking regions of Chile and Peru. Pisco was developed by Spanish settlers in the 16th century as an alternative to orujo, a pomace brandy that was being imported from Spain...
is a late 16th century brandy made from grapes that originated in the Viceroyalty of Peru
Viceroyalty of Peru
Created in 1542, the Viceroyalty of Peru was a Spanish colonial administrative district that originally contained most of Spanish-ruled South America, governed from the capital of Lima...
. It was available in San Francisco since the 1830s when it was first brought from Pisco, Peru via ship by rawhide and tallow
Tallow
Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, processed from suet. It is solid at room temperature. Unlike suet, tallow can be stored for extended periods without the need for refrigeration to prevent decomposition, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation.In industry,...
traders trading with California towns. During the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
of 1849 the brandy was readily available in San Francisco.
The grapes grown are Muscat grapes. . They grow on the volcanic soil in and around the port of Pisco. Pisco brandy was the first distilled spirit made in the new world. As there were no glass bottles in the 16th century, the brandy was shipped in ceramic (clay) containers sealed with beeswax. The wax marinated the brandy, giving it a half-tone of honey flavor.
"In 1839, early in the year, the brig 'Daniel O'Connell,' an English vessel, arrived at Yerba Buena from Payta, Peru, with a cargo of Peruvian and other foreign goods, having on board a considerable quantity of pisco or italia, a fine delicate liquor manufactured at a place called Pisco.
History of the drink
When the Bank Exchange & Billiard Saloon opened its doors in 1853 it served pisco among other several liquors. Several punches were made using pisco at the Bank Exchange over a long succession of owners, ending in 1893 with Duncan Nicol. Nicol was the last owner of the Bank Exchange when it closed its doors permanently in 1919 because of the Volstead ActVolstead Act
The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was the enabling legislation for the Eighteenth Amendment which established prohibition in the United States...
.
Duncan Nicol invented a pisco punch recipe using: pisco brandy, pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
, lime juice
Lime (fruit)
Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...
, sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, gum arabic
Gum arabic
220px|thumb|right|Acacia gumGum arabic, also known as acacia gum, chaar gund, char goond, or meska, is a natural gum made of hardened sap taken from two species of the acacia tree; Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal...
and distilled water
Distilled water
Distilled water is water that has many of its impurities removed through distillation. Distillation involves boiling the water and then condensing the steam into a clean container.-History:...
. The punch was so potent that one writer of the day wrote "it tastes like lemonade but comes back with the kick of a roped steer." Others said "it makes a gnat
Gnat
A gnat is any of many species of tiny flying insects in the Dipterid suborder Nematocera, especially those in the families Mycetophilidae, Anisopodidae and Sciaridae.In British English the term applies particularly to Nematocerans of the family Culicidae...
fight an elephant." Harold Ross
Harold Ross
Harold Wallace Ross was an American journalist and founder of The New Yorker magazine, which he edited from the magazine's inception in 1925 to his death....
, founder of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine wrote in 1937: "In the old days in San Francisco there was a famous drink called Pisco Punch, made from Pisco, a Peruvian brandy... pisco punch used to taste like lemonade but had a kick like vodka, or worse."
Pisco Punch gained fame worldwide thanks to pieces written by travelers including Mark Twain and Harold Ross (founder of New Yorker magazine). In Rudyard Kipling's 1889 epic From Sea to Sea, he immortalized Pisco Punch as being "compounded of the shavings of cherub's wings, the glory of a tropical dawn, the red clouds of sunset and the fragments of lost epics by dead masters" Unfortunately, Prohibition closed the doors of the Bank Exchange; and Duncan Nicol died soon thereafter- supposedly taking the exact recipe to his grave.
Sources
- Pauline Jacobson - A Fire-Defying Landmark, The Bulletin, San Francisco, May 4, 1912, Pg. 13
- William Heath Davis - Seventy-five Years in San Francisco, D.S. Watson, 1929
- Herbert AsburyHerbert AsburyHerbert Asbury was an American journalist and writer who is best known for his true crime books detailing crime during the 19th and early 20th century such as Gem of the Prairie, Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld and The Gangs of New York...
- The Barbary Coast - An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld, 1933, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002 - Robert O'Brien - This is San Francisco, Whittlesey House N.Y. 1948 Chronicle Books, 1994
- Idwal Jones - Ark of Empire, Ballantine Books, 1951
- William Bronson - Secrets of Pisco Punch Revealed, California Historical Society, 1973
- Edited by Thomas Kunkel, Letters from the Editor - The New Yorker Harold RossHarold RossHarold Wallace Ross was an American journalist and founder of The New Yorker magazine, which he edited from the magazine's inception in 1925 to his death....
, The Modern Library, New York, 2001, Pg. 117 - Toro-Lira, Guillermo - Wings of Cherubs: The Saga of the Rediscovery of Pisco Punch, Old San Francisco's Mystery Drink, BookSurge Publishing, South Carolina, 2007
- Toro-Lira, Guillermo - History of Pisco in San Francisco: A Scrapbook of First Hand Accounts', Createspace, 2010
See also
Drink topics- PiscoPiscoPisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber colored grape brandy produced in winemaking regions of Chile and Peru. Pisco was developed by Spanish settlers in the 16th century as an alternative to orujo, a pomace brandy that was being imported from Spain...
- Pisco Brandy
- Punch (drink)Punch (drink)Punch is the term for a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from India to England in the early seventeenth century; from there its use spread to other countries...
- List of cocktails with less common spirits
Regional topics
- Peruvian cuisine and drinks
Video Summary of radio interview: KGO-ABC 810AM "Dining Around with Gene Burns", the most popular foodie radio program of San Francisco, telling us about Peruvian gastronomy and the historical relation of Peruvian Pisco brandy with the City by the Bay.