Pisco Portón, one of the finest pisco
brands. Photo courtesy Pisco Portón.

So for Pisco Day, here are two pisco punch recipes that aren’t the Pisco Sour. Punches are good for a crowd, can be made a day in advance, and are easy to pour from a pitcher.

Make the punch a day in advance, you can chill it thoroughly in the fridge so less ice will be required (it dilutes the drink as it melts). The larger the cubes, the slower they melt.

RECIPE: EASY PISCO PUNCH

Ingredients

 
*Juice the three lemons after you cut the peels

Preparation

1. MUDDLE the lemon peels and sugar together and let sit for at least 90 minutes. Muddle the lemon and sugar again, then stir in the lemon juice.

2. ADD the pisco and the water and stir. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
 
3. CUT the star fruit into ¼ to ½ inch slices right before serving. To serve, pour into a glass pitcher and float the star fruit slices. Add ice cubes as needed.

RECIPE: PINEAPPLE PISCO PUNCH

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. MIX all ingredients in punch bowl or pitcher.

2. SERVE in rocks glasses; garnish with pineapple and strawberry squares and mint.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PISCO

As Spanish emigrés settled in Latin America, they needed to find local substitutes for products that took many months to come from Europe.

Pisco, a replacement for European-distilled brandy, was first made in the 16th century from grapes grown in the fertile Pisco Valley.

While most pisco brands imported to the U.S. are Peruvian, you can alo find some that are made in Chile.