Drink in History: The Chilcano

Do you drink to cure a hangover? Although counterintuitive, you’re not alone.

Across the globe, hair-of-the-dog cures—like Canada’s Bloody Caesar—are ‘prescribed’ by friends, family members, and even medical professionals. In fact, the “like cures like” theory can be traced all the way back to Hippocrates’ era, nearly 2,500 years ago. So, there must be some wisdom in it.

In Peru, the hair-of-the-dog cocktail is the Chilcano, which is loosely translated to ‘fish stew’. With its lemon-forward flavor and fish bone broth, the stew version of Chilcano is also a Peruvian remedy for hangovers. The cocktail version of Chilcano is pisco (an unaged brandy and Peru’s national spirit), ginger beer, and lime served over rocks in a high ball glass.

The drink’s origin can be traced to a single culture versus a single cocktail slinger. In the mid-1800s, Italians began fleeing their home country due to dire poverty. Some started a new life in Peru. Used to drinking Buongiornos (or Good Mornings), a mixture of grappa—Italy’s brandy—and ginger ale, Italian immigrants are credited for inspiring the Chilcano. Ask Italian-Peruvian locals today about the Chilcano, and they will probably have a few memories to share of their grandparents and great-grandparents drinking a Chilcano.

“Those Italians knew what they were doing,” says Adam Weintraub, owner of three Museum of Pisco bars in Peru and founder of Patrimonio.

“But the true inspiration lies in the exceptional limes from Peru. The limón sutil [key lime] gives the Chilcano it’s balance and punch.”

You may or may not be able to get this lime varietal in the States. But now you have a reason to travel to Peru. You’re welcome. While there, go to Weintraub’s Museum of Pisco for a Chilcano tasting, in Lima, Cusco and Arequipa. The tasting includes four versions of house-made ginger syrup and infused piscos, plus there’s a DIY session where you can add the amount of pisco, Peruvian lime juice, and ginger ale that suits your style.

Like Mezcal, variations of Peru’s national spirit are endless depending on the grape or blend of grapes used to make the pisco. Again, like the different agave varietals distilled to make mezcal, each grape varietal lends a very different flavor profile. Which is the best type of pisco to use in the Chilcano?

“If you ask a proper pisquero, you should use the Torontel varietal of pisco, which has an excellent fruit and flower nose to it, giving a great floral component to the ginger and lime,” explains Weintaub.

“A well-made Acholado, or blended varietal, also can be a great balanced and nuanced pisco for the Chilcano. My best answer, though, is … whichever pisco you have closest!”

Speaking of pisco on hand, pick up a bottle if it’s not a regular player on your bar cart. The versatility of this all-star mixer is a pure pleasure to play with in many tried-and-true cocktails, like a Martini, Manhattan, Margarita and more. Once your bar is stocked with pisco, try making the cure-all Chilcano. You’ll soon discover why locals prefer them, almost more than their beloved Pisco Sour.

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