Cocomo Derby
If you’ve been following Pisco Trail for some time, it should be clear by now that two of my favorites things are drinks and dessert, in that order, and often with a dinner in between. So when Cocktail Lab announced their Elements of Cocktail Class, I jumped at the chance to learn about the art of crafting the perfect cocktail.
The workshop started with a punch to get us warmed up, and then we divided into teams groups to visit different stations throughout the evening. At each station, we learned about the elements that make a cocktail, such as spirits, modifiers, syrups, and bitters. It was fascinating that just a few elements could produce so many diverse, complex, flavorful, and quaffable cocktails.
The evening culminated in a competition project, where each group used their skills to make a new cocktail from scratch. It was a lot of fun to work as a group, and after some brainstorming, and taste testing, we decided to use a traditional sour recipe which included the following ingredients: bourbon, grapefruit, lemon, orange bitters, and evaporated cane syrup — presenting, the one, the only, the Cocomo Derby.
Arroz con Leche at The Hub, SF
To restore balance in my week after the cocktail class, I had to prepare a dessert. And since it was time for Pisco Trail’s monthly pop-up at The Hub, I decided to prepare Arroz con Leche. Similar to last month’s pop-up where I cooked Frejol Colado, I prepared the dessert in the open kitchen. That way everyone could see what I was doing, and be enticed by the aromas of the sweet spices being slowed cooked into a creamy pudding. Few things bring me as much joy as serving food to a total stranger and watch them smile with delight as they take the first bite. It was also a real pleasure to chat with everyone who wanted to learn more about Peruvian food. Somebody even asked “is there Pisco is this dessert?” — now there is someone who knows how much I like drinks and dessert.