Come to a fun and educational guided tasting event honoring the 477th Anniversary of the city of Lima, and discover why it was declared the “Gastronomic Capital of the Americas” at the International Gastronomic Summit Madrid Fusion.
Tasting includes:
Two Pisco-based cocktails
Pisco Tasting Station showcasing five varieties of Pisco guided by Sommelier Juan Illescas
Causa Limeña de Pulpo. Exclusively found in Peruvian Cuisine, a cold, tangy, mildly spicy mash potato cake topped with olive mayo and octopus.
Anticucho. Of African origin and sold mostly by street vendors, an incomparable skewer of beautiful texture and mouthwatering flavor.
Aji de Gallina, a delicious and traditional chicken stew that resulted from the fusion of Peruvian cuisine with French cooking traditions. It is a spicy, nutty cheese sauce served over baby yellow potatoes.
Surprise Dessert from Colonial Lima.
Peruvian DJ/Music
Special Performance by Peruvian Tenor Javier Bernardo, member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago
When: Thursday January 19 2012 from 7 to 11pm (Tasting from 7 to 9pm and DJ until 11pm)
Where: Between Peruvian Cafe & Pisco Bar 1324 N Milwaukee Ave Chicago, IL 60622
Cost: $30 ($35 at the door). Please purchase your tickets early. Limited space available. Entry cannot be guaranteed if tickets are not bought before the event.
To buy tickets call (773) 292-0585 or send an email to carl@betweenchicago.com
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Chicago Urbanite 
Some videos that are relevant to this event:
What is Pisco?
Pisco means bird (Pishco) in the Quechua dialect. It is also the name of an ancient yet thoroughly modern, exquisite and popular alcohol distilled from grapes growing in the wine-producing regions of the mystical Ica Valley, near the bustling port and province of Pisco, close to the Nazca lines, in fertile Peru.
This elegant spirit is the exceptional product of a loving marriage of soil, climate and vines, which allow it to reach its full splendor. It is also the national spirit of Peru.
Pisco, and the many delicious cocktails and alcoholic mixed drinks made with it, has been popular for centuries and favored by royalty as well as the rich and famous worldwide. This exquisite spirit, second to none in the history of beverages, was savored by the Spanish Conquistadores from the time that the Marquis de Carabantes first imported the grapes to Peru from the Canary Islands in 1553. Pisco and its related cocktails was a fashionable alcoholic drink in California and New York since 1830, and the favorite drink to many Hollywood celebrities. (John Wayne was married to a Peruvian lady and was a connoisseur of great hand-crafted Pisco)
Rudyard Kipling, winner of the 1907 Nobel Prize in Literature, wrote in his opus From Sea to Sea, published in 1899 Piscothe noblest and most beautiful product of our eraI have the theory that it is composed of little cherub wings, the glory of a tropical sunrise, the red of sunset clouds and fragments of ancient epics written by the great fallen masters.
As trade between Peru and Europe grew during the colonial years, so did the international popularity of Pisco. Pisco production began to dramatically expand in the 1940s, thanks to economic and social stability in Peru, emanating from the export of its rich copper and gold resources. In the years following the re-establishment of Pisco production, many different varieties of grapes were used, leading to a wide variation in flavor, aroma, viscosity and appearance. This served to enhance its popularity among the connoisseurs even more. Today, Pisco is prominently featured in the Cocktail Museum of Las Vegas and is fast becoming all the rage again in the U.S. and fashionable cities around the world.
A testimony of a big Latin music celebrity about Peruvian Gastronomy: