"Pisco is a precious cultural heritage of Chile with a 500-year history."
On the 12th at Sofitel Ambassador in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Chilean Ambassador to Korea Matías Franke said this at the "Chile Pisco & Cocktail Show." Pisco is a traditional Chilean distilled spirit made by fermenting, distilling, and aging grapes. Just as every Korean knows soju, if you were born in Chile you know pisco, the saying goes.
Pisco began in the 16th century with Spanish settlers. In Chile, pisco is produced under strict regulations. Since 1931, the Chilean government has operated a designation of origin system that allows the use of the name pisco.
Ambassador Franke said, "Korea values cultural assets and shows top quality in the field of mixology," adding, "Pisco has a wide range of uses and a rich aroma, so I think it is an ideal spirit for developing creative recipes that will captivate Korean palates."
The event was organized to introduce pisco, Chile's traditional distilled spirit. The Embassy of Chile in Korea, ProChile, and Pisco Chile co-hosted it.
Felipe Umaña Cerón, ProChile's commercial attaché who oversaw the event, said, "We want to introduce the true charm of Chilean pisco to Korea," adding, "The interest and openness the Korean market has shown toward pisco's identity, quality, and long heritage have been very impressive."
ProChile, the trade office of the Embassy of Chile in Korea, brought in 10 high-quality piscos from Chile for the event. Using them, domestic bartenders including Kim I-chang, Bae Se-min, Lee Byeong-seok, Han Jeong-min, and Hong Man-gi held a cocktail tasting.
Participants who tried various cocktails at the tasting said things like, "It's made into a cocktail, but pisco's unique aroma is vivid." Pisco is currently exported to about 42 countries, including Germany, the United States, Canada, France, and Spain, and is used in a variety of cocktails.