El Capitán
El Capitán is a pisco and sweet vermouth cocktail with several spirit-forward variations. 19th century Italian immigrants in Lima served a room temperature aperitif with equal parts pisco and sweet vermouth. Named after cavalry captains in Peru’s sierras, the drink evolved into a Manhattan-like cocktail that’s popular at Lima’s bars. The classic drink calls for equal proportions pisco and vermouth; the reverse variation adds more vermouth to make it sweeter; and the so-called perfect variation use a split base of both sweet and dry vermouth.
El Capitán Variations
Serves 1
Classic
- 1 ounce pisco
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
Manhattan Variation
- 2 ounces pisco
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- dash Angostura bitters
- expressed lemon peel, for garnish
Reverse Capitán
- 1 ounce pisco
- 2 ounces sweet vermouth
- dash Angostura bitters
- expressed orange peel, for garnish
Perfect Variation
- 1 ounce pisco
- ½ ounce sweet vermouth
- ½ ounce dry vermouth
- dash Angostura bitters
- 2 green olives, for garnish
For the classic drink, combine the pisco and sweet vermouth in a small glass, and serve at room temperature. For the other variations, combine the pisco, vermouth(s), and bitters in a mixing glass with ice. Stir to chill, about 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled coup, and garnish with either a citrus peel or green olives.
La Yapa
To make the cocktail vegan, make sure the pisco and vermouth are both vegan. Peruvian pisco is distilled from grapes, and nothing else is added, so it’s already vegan. Use an acholado pisco with blended grape varietals to complement the vermouth. Vermouth is fortified wine, but some wine producers use animal products to filter their wine. Dolin, for example, has been producing vermouth for 200 years, and their sweet vermouth and dry vermouth are both vegan.