An Encounter with Pisco

Pisco is a product historically obtained from the distillation of fresh musts from recently fermented “Pisqueras” grapes, which gives an unequalled result. The Embassy of Peru in Hungary has organized “Pisco night” events to introduce this product to the Hungarian audience. At one of these recent events, held at the Budapest Marriott Hotel, Peruvian Ambassador Edgard Pérez Alván told Diplomacy&Trade about their efforts in this campaign and how the ‘Spirit of Peru’ is received in this country.

“Pisco night is a project that the Embassy of Peru has been running for a year and a half now, since the end of 2024, to make Pisco, the Spirit of Peru, better known in Hungary by presenting it in a sophisticated and friendly environment to the guests of major bars and restaurants in the city, providing a new and unique experience because Pisco is actually an experience”, the Ambassador highlighted.

A cocktail for your taste
He added that Pisco is a very versatile spirit, so one can have Pisco in several cocktails – be it a sour drink or a sweet drink or one in between. “Thus, you can always have a cocktail for your taste and that brings you warmth in your heart and in your life as well as makes you enjoy the moment. The idea is to have a great time with friends and peers, because, as I mentioned, it's so versatile that you can find a Pisco-based cocktail for every occasion. Pisco is a Peruvian product with Denomination of Origin, and is made out of eight varieties of grapes, thus, one can have different kinds of Pisco. All have the same standard of production. It is important to emphasize that Pisco can only be produced out of these eight varieties of “Pisqueras” grapes and only in Peru. The Embassy of Peru, as representative of the Government of Peru, promotes Pisco in general terms because there are many brands of it. It depends on the distributors or on the consumers what brand they prefer.”

Growing professional interest
As to what sort of feedback they have from those making and tasting it, the Ambassador said “it's fantastic. We began by a Pisco masterclass that was mainly addressed to bartenders and food and beverage managers. The response was amazing because the event was originally programmed for 30 people but at the end, we actually had almost 90. And from that day, we've been having a series of successful Pisco night events in the bars of different prestigious hotels in Budapest. In some cases, they have approached to us to offer us the venues. At this point, local distributors that didn't have Pisco before are importing this product. Now, there are more than five brands and nearly three or four local distributors offering this Peruvian spirit. When we started this project, there were very few venues offering Pisco in Hungary and now this situation is changing.”

Happy Hungarian consumers
Speaking of the response by Hungarians tasting this Peruvian spirit, the Ambassador stated that “actually, you can see that they are very happy. They are really happy and surprised because they found that Pisco is truly good and versatile, and they keep asking for more. The most emblematic cocktail is the Pisco sour. This drink is made of fresh lime juice, some sugar syrup, egg white, the Pisco as such, some ice and some Angostura bitter.”
He added that the success of Pisco-based cocktails in Hungary is also demonstrated by the fact that several hotels prepare their own signature drinks.

Restaurants open to Pisco
In its Pisco project in Hungary, the Embassy of Peru is now close to the end of the second stage. As the Ambassador explained, the first stage was to meet the bartenders, introduce Pisco to them and actually show them how to prepare the Pisco-based cocktails for their customers. Now, the Embassy is in the second stage when ‘touring’ around high-end hotels. “Presently, we are collaborating with local distributors to go to restaurants and bars, other than those of hotels. That is the point where we are at the moment. It's like a third step and we are doing very well. There are many ideas and many restaurants that are really open to the possibility to have Pisco on their menu.”