Last year, John Anton, the Wine and Beverage Director at Mandolin, a Contemporary Southern restaurant in Raleigh, NC, won the Campo de Encanto Pisco Distiller’s Apprentice Competition with his Mandolin Winter Pisco Punch. His prize was a trip to Lima and Ica, Peru, where he, along with 8 fellow bartenders from around the country, spent a week learning the art of distilling Pisco from a Master Distiller, Carlos Romero. Anton thought this trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity. He was wrong.
On September 2, 2014, he received a call from Campo de Encanto President and Duke University Alum, Walter Moore, asking if he was available for a return trip to Peru in a mere two weeks. Walter, a former sommelier, grew up on the Outer Banks and still has family in North Carolina. The prior year John and Walter had bonded over their passion for wine and spirits and their North Carolina connection. Walter, impressed with John’s work ethic, invited him back to help blend, taste, proof, and bottle 12,000 liters of pisco, which had been created from grapes that Anton had helped pick the previous year. Despite the short notice, John was on a plane to Lima on September 14th.
Pisco is a premium pomace brandy, a white spirit made from wine grapes, which are fermented into wine and then distilled. In Peru, it is the drink of the nation, as synonymous with Peruvian culture as ceviche. It is one of very few alcohols which exudes a true sense of place. While most spirits are distilled multiple times to remove impurities and achieve uniformity of flavor, Pisco reflects the character of its grapes, giving it a sense of terroir and celebrating its complexity. It is an evolving, organic entity whose flavor, like wine, changes over time. Despite a minimal presence in the US, outside of San Francisco, many bartenders laud Pisco for its versatility and consider it “the next great spirit.” Mandolin is one of only a handful restaurants and bars in North Carolina that carries Campo de Encanto Pisco.
Whereas John’s first trip was an introduction to Peru, a travel experience, and an opportunity to bond with peers, his second trip was all business. This trip consisted of 14-hour days of manual labor in a rustic, non-automated, open-aired distillery in the Peruvian desert. Campo de Encanto is made the “old fashioned” way- picked, processed, distilled, proofed, and bottled almost entirely by human hand. On this trip, Anton deepened his knowledge of Pisco by literally making it by hand, giving him not only technical expertise, but also an appreciation for the spirit that few bartenders will ever have. There is a certain reverence for an art form that comes through the process and the struggle, rather than through a mere appreciation of the final product.
John Anton and Campo de Encanto Co-Founder, Walter Moore, will be sharing their love of Pisco at Mandolin’s Campo de Encanto Dinner on Sunday November 30, 2014 starting at 6:00 PM. John and Walter will be sharing Pisco and Pisco cocktails alongside a 4 course Peruvian meal created by Chef-Owner, Sean Fowler.
Please contact Mandolin at 919-322-0365 to reserve a seat at Mandolin’s Pisco de Encanto Dinner.
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