Peru Trip: Day 6...And so to Cusco!!

Mmmmm mmm mmm mmm mmmmmmmmm!!!

I just made the BEST Pisco Sour. I'm having the girls over for drinks on Friday and I've been trialing recipes this weekend. The first recipe I tried was awful calling for 4 parts Pisco to 1 part lemon juice, it was way too strong and I had to pour it out, wasting precious Pisco in the process, but the second attempt....divine!! I'm thinking of bringing back cocktail hour. Here's the recipe in case any of you want to try it at home.

For best results chill all the ingredients in advance:
4 tablespoons of Pisco
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons of simple syrup - make this a day or so ahead and chill
1 egg white
Dash of bitters

Bartenders will probably cringe at the following instructions, but throw all the ingredients, except for the bitters, into a blender with 2 ice cubes and blend for 10seconds or so. Pour into a martini glass, add a dash of bitters and enjoy!!

I thought about making zabaglione with the leftover egg yolks, but I didn't trust myself to be large and in charge of a double boiler after two Pisco sours - yes two, I had to make 2 drinks just to make sure I really had got the recipe spot on!! I do have guests to consider on Friday ;-)

As for the Pisco I brought 2 bottles of the Demonio De Los Andes brand - as recommended by our tour leader, Ybone - back from Peru. They were about $10 US. The popular brand is Biondi, however it's twice the price and according to Ybone it's mainly purchased by tourists.

How much can I honestly say about a 7hour bus trip from Puno to Cusco beyond the fact that I needed a buttock transplant by the end of it? Don't get me wrong, Peruvian buses are pretty comfy - although don't tell the Peruvians, but Chilean buses are comfier - but 7 hours!!! Whew!!! Not fun, especially when I had to endure the movie "Dear John" for half of it.* What a pile of bollocks!!! Ugh!! If only I'd had a Pisco sour on that particular trip. It was nice to watch the change of scenery though as we left the Altiplano and the landscape became more deciduous as we approached Cusco.

Passing through Juliaca

Inca Kola ads are everywhere!!

Ads for politicians were all over buildings in Peru which is going through Mayoral elections this year. Apparently the ads are painted without permission of the building owners. It's illegal, but not enforced very well. This political graffiti will undoubtedly continue next year when Peru has their Presidential elections.

The artisans market by the rest stop 3 hours into our journey to Cusco.

A different landscape a couple of hours from Cusco.

The old style VW Beetle was a popular choice of car in Peru. It has a lot more character than the newer version in my opinion.

*We had no choice they played it on all the TVs that were bolted in the aisles of the bus