Chile National Drink

CHILE

Pisco, the national drink of Chile, is rich in tradition. It is exported from both Peru and Chile, and both countries claim to be the original producers of the liqueur. Pisco is distilled from Muscat grapes that grows north of Santiago de Chile. Pisco, and the drinks made with it, have been popular for centuries. It is the essential ingredient in the now world famous cocktail, the Pisco Sour. Tea with a shot of Pisco is the Chilean answer to the common cold, and it may just do the trick to relieve a headache and stuffy nose. Whichever way you choose to take your Pisco, you can expect a pleasant, smooth drink.

Pisco Sour

A pisco sour is the most common way to drink it in cocktail form. It consists of pisco, lemon juice, powdered sugar and ice cold pisco. A few drops of bitters on top is optional. Some bars commonly add whisked egg white to give the drink a frothy head. A relatively new phenomenon in Chile is the mango sour, a much sweeter version of the pisco sour. It is possible to buy both in premixed forms at supermarkets, although the taste doesn't compare with the freshly made drink.

Piscola  

Another concoction made with Pisco brandy is Piscola, the choice of many late-night revelers. Piscola is a highball cocktail drink made by combining Pisco with a soft drink which may be cola based. It is Chilean in origin and is also known as the Combinado Nacional or national mixture. A Piscola can be black or white depending if it is mixed with a cola, ginger ale, Tonic, Sprite or similar soft drink. The mixture of Pisco and soft drink has vary proportions depending on taste. Piscola can be a deadly combination for new tourists as the alcohol ratio is much higher in Chile than in the United States, most of Europe, Australia or New Zealand. You might sometimes find your glass with more than half filled of Pisco and then topped up with Cola. In some cases your entire glass is filled with Pisco and ice and you have a small bottle of cola on the side to add to it. The problem is that there's no space for it in the glass so you have to start sipping pure Pisco to make some room for the cola.  


Text source [1][2]