Port Morris Distillery:
PITORRO
So what is Pitorro. It is a word in Spanish that is associated with a sugar cane distilled beverage particular to Puero Rico. So, "Puerto Rican Moonshine" is more or less a good way to put it. And where can you get the best Puerto Rican Moonshine? In NYC of course. More specifically at that Port Morris Distillery in The Bronx, NY, which is a short walk from the 6 train. Yes, you tourists out there, it's safe to go to. The gentle rocking of the Metro North and Amtrak trains that bring you back to your suburbia and your wonder bread, create a harmonic zone which is perfect for rattling the best of the flavors out of the ingredients and barrels for an amazing flavor experience.
Go here.
The Port Morris Distillery makes 3 main varieties of their Pitorro.
#1: Shine. A clear version which is rip roarin' ready to go almost straight out of the still. But don't think you're going to get a paint-stripping moonshine that tastes like Cachaça, because you won't. You will get a soft fragrant blank canvas of a liquor, all thanks to their proprietary blend of cane, apples, and honey, along with corn in their mash. While delicious on its own, it's begging to take a few creative things into it as an infusion. The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can add.
#2: Anjeho. Aged Pitorro. They let their Shine sit in some serious oak until it picks up an oaked quality which intermingles with its unique taste. Best had neat, but there are a few recipes it can work well in, as you shall see.
#3: Coquito. This is the Pitorro as it is expected. Infused with traditional spices and fruit. It is traditional and popular around right the hell now (the x-mas holidays). You WASP mofos will probably call it too "fruity" and dump a load of some weirdo bitters in there or try to mix it with some un-aged corn whiskey, but before you do that (and as a cracker myself I think something like that might not be so bad), just give it a real try by itself with good foods before you do that
And now, Port Morris Pitorro:
We met some of the family. They are amazing and they really care about what their product come out tasting like. When that's happening, you know you are in for some good stuff.
The Port Morris Pitorro Shine is one of the greatest blank canvases to work with in terms of infusion. It was literally invented for such a purpose. Port Morris Distillery encourages you to try your own creations with their Pitorro Shine. Try some out, and show them off.
The Añejo is almost more of a reposado, but people always only think of Tequila when those terms are used, but they really are general words which mean "aged" and "rested" respectively. In our opinion, this aged Pitorro is really good and can more than stand its ground against a Green Label.
Click here to learn more about Coquito.
So, how did some non-preservative cherries last us this long? Well, it wasn't just our fridge that did it, but rather 3 oz of Spirytus Staropolski (the 98% ABV vodka). That kept it from going bad you better believe it. You can also freeze them, but don't use a glass container.
So we shall see what those infusions will bring. But, in the mean time, we will be checking out some great cocktail recipes, like the Salma Hayek.
See you tomorrow.
