San Francisco’s Pisco Punch

During the California gold rush around 1849, the Peruvian liquor, pisco, was readily available in San Francisco, and it was at the Bank Exchange bar where the famous drink Pisco Punch was invented. Pisco is a brandy made entirely with grapes cultivated mostly in the desert valleys near the port of Pisco, in Peru; It is made using traditional ways of production that have changed little since the 16th century.

Duncan Nicol, last owner of the Bank Exchange & Billiard Saloon, kept serving the Pisco Punch during the late 1800s, a powerful drink that became quite popular, which, it was said, went down like lemonade but came back with the kick of a Missouri mule. In 1937, Harold Ross, founder of The New Yorker, wrote: “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.” The previous owners, Orrin Dorman and John Torrence, gave the drink recipe to Nicol, and he maintained the tradition of secrecy they had established to the end of his days.

The original recipe was lost when Duncan Nicol passed away; however, according to the booklet “Secrets of Pisco Punch Revealed” by William Bronson, it may have been recovered for good.

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.

If you are lucky to have a bottle of the Peruvian liquor, pisco, you may want to try your barman skills at home and enjoy a Pisco Punch, just follow this old recipe from the booklet mentioned above:

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 bottle (24 oz) of Peruvian pisco
- 10 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1 fresh Pineapple cut in squares
- 16 oz distilled water
- Gum syrup
- A number of Ice cubes (to cool up the mix)

METHOD: Put the squares of pineapple in a bowl with gum syrup to soak overnight. In the next morning, mix in a big bowl: 8 oz of the gum syrup with the other ingredients, without the pineapple squares.
Do not keep the ice cubes too long to avoid dilution.
Use 3 or 4 oz punch glasses. Add one of the pineapple squares in each glass.
You may add more lemon juice or gum syrup for taste.

A compilation from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisco_punch
http://www.sunpopblue.com/Frisco-Tales/The-Secrets-of-Pisco-Punch-Revealed-The-Lost-Recipe.html
http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/1950s/1957/09/pisco_punch

Thousands of reasons to celebrate in Peru

Peruvians celebrate life with about 3,000 radiant festivals every year where they sing and dance wearing colorful costumes under a myriad of melodies of traditional music. Since the encounter of the Andean people and other world cultures, 1,300 musical genres have risen in Peru. Peruvian music of today is of romance and drama, of exultant marriage and tragic collision of cultures and styles from many of the world's continents.

Most festivals are a blend of ancient beliefs with Christian traditions introduced by the Spanish in the 16th century. These religious festivals are celebrated in homage of a Christian personality such as a saint who is seen as patron of their particular community and in many cases the celebration lasts several weeks, such as La Virgen de la Candelaria, which grants Puno the title of Folk Capital of the Americas.

From January 24th to February 18th, La Virgen de la Candelaria festival gathers 200 groups of musicians and dancers and draws thousands of people to the city. The sponsors, called majordomos, decorate the church and streets; they pay for banquets and fireworks displays. The main day, February 2nd, the Virgin is carried out from its church and then walked throughout the city in a colorful procession followed by a parade of musicians and dancers wearing spectacular costumes. It is a fantastic dreamlike atmosphere, which you will not want to wake up from. The main dance, La Diablada, the dance of the demons, shows how the highlands of Puno have captured imaginations.

Peru hosts international tourism events in 2008

The Commission for the Americas of the UN World Tourism Organization has unanimously designated Peru as the host country for the celebration of the World Tourism Day 2008, which is held every year on September 27. Peru had host the third International Conference about Tourism and Handicraft in March 2008.

The secretary general of the UNWTO, Francesco Frangialli, was positive with the decision to organize the WTD 2008 in Peru and has point up the country’s tourism potential plus it’s many archaeological sites as well as it’s living culture.

Archaeological objects were returned to Peru

More than 100 archaeological objects from Peru that were recently recovered in Germany and the United States were shown to the media in Lima. The cultural wares will be included in the permanent exhibition of the Museo de la Nación (Nation Museum). Among the objects recovered are textiles, ceramics and metals from different Peruvian cultures that date back to the I century, the Inca period and the XVI century.

The objects coming from the U.S. were seized by customs agents and delivered to the Peruvian Consulate in Houston. The objects brought back from Germany were voluntarily delivered by their owners to the Peruvian authorities.

The Peruvian government is still negociating with Yale University in order to recover more than 40,000 archaeological objects from Machu Picchu, which were borrowed by Hiram Bingham almost a century ago for their research at Yale.

Tourism industry keeps growing

The tourism industry in Peru grew 24.7% this year generating US$2 billion in revenue; it has become the best tool against poverty in the country. According to the tourism vice minister, Pablo López de Romaña Cáceres, Peru has the potential to become one of the ten first destinations in the world.

Ancient tomb discovered in Lambayeque

A team of archaeologists from the University of Texas uncovered a 1,700 years old Moche tomb similar to the famous Señor de Sipán in the northern region of Lambayeque. The discovery of the tomb was made at the base of a “huaca” (ceremonial center) away from the usual area where other Moche sites have been found, which may yield new information about this ancient culture.

A member of the elite was buried in the tomb with a servant and a llama near him, which may have been sacrificed as companions for his after life. Many copper and silver objects were found in the site such as clubs, necklaces and headdresses. Offerings made of ceramic and metals where found in the deepest part of the tomb.

The Moche culture, also called Mochica, flourished in the desert coast of northern Peru between the I and VI centuries A.D. It was organized in small local realms. The discovery of the Señor de Sipán tomb exposed the level of development reached by this civilization, which achieved outstanding use of metallurgy and ceramic creations.

Colonial art restoration in Cusco

The Restoration Center of the National Cultural Institute (INC) in Cusco has restored 100 works of art from many colonial Catholic churches of the region. Among the exquisite works of art restored are 26 paints from the Cusco School, 72 sculptures and an altarpiece.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in Punta Sal

The largest luxury hotel company in North America, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, will build an elegant resort in Punta Sal, a beach destination in the northern region of Tumbes. Fairmont has also shown interest in building a new hospital in the area since the current conditions of the one in the region are not the very best for its future visitors, it will also benefit the locals with the latest in medical technology.

Health tourism increasing in Peru

Every year more than 15,000 foreign patients are admitted in health institutions in the country, most of them come from the United States. Price is the main reason why foreign visitors opt to use the health services in Peru, while a night in an American hospital could cost at least US$1,500, in Peru it may cost patients up to US$200.