Pisco sour day: why is Bar Inglés one of the most emblematic places in Lima?

411 is not a home address, a phone code, or a room number. It is an unalterable formula, perfect, to prepare the Pisco Sour and that is how it has been served for decades at the bar of the English Bar, the flagship of the Hotel Country in San Sebastián and a temple of good food and drink. Four (4) ounces of pisco, one (1) ounce of lemon and one (1) ounce of syrup make up the base, the beginning of everything. There are also the egg whites, the ice, the Angostura bitters, the good hand of the bartender and the atmosphere, but that is another story. The one that concerns us today has to do with the recovery of one of the most emblematic spaces of the gastronomic scene in this city, which was closed for 18 months due to the pandemic.

The english pub He came back in November of last year. He did it in all its expression, with its only room enabled for face-to-face attention: less capacity and attention by order of arrival (reservations are not allowed). Almost the entire pandemic remained completely empty, with the bar operating exclusively for El Perroquet, the Creole food restaurant that is right next door and to which the English Bar provides all the cocktails. They even considered delivering, but the idea would never have worked. The pisco sour here is enjoyed with all the senses: from taste to sight.

“We wanted to try the classic cocktails, to send home,” says Luiggy Arteaga, head of bars at the Country Club Lima Hotel. “But in the case of pisco sour it was especially difficult since the lemon oxidizes very quickly and the white is perishable. So we decided to leave the delivery only for the dishes of the restaurant (El Perroquet), the cocktails for the service in the premises, and wait until the reopening of the bar”, he points out. Specifically, that wait lasted a year and a half. Like all comebacks, this one also brought some surprises.

“El Bar Inglés is a restaurant/bar where food is also served,” Vanessa Villagrán, unit manager of Los Portales Hotels, explained in November. “Although it is a small space, we keep our distance and the windows are open. Before the tables were closer together; now they are less, most for two or three people at most, ”she indicates. Throughout the pandemic, many regular customers wrote or called to ask when they could return to visit that environment (the favorite bar of figures such as Joaquín Sabina and Alfredo Bryce Echenique, to name a few). Since the reopening 15 days ago, an unexpected phenomenon has been taking place: the arrival of a younger public.

“Our average client had a higher profile, with more risk during the pandemic,” adds Luiggy Arteaga. “Now we see that 30 or 35-year-old consumers are coming, many of whom first come to La Panadería to eat something (the new Country space, opened in a pandemic) and want to continue with the experience,” he explains. The hotel spaces have served precisely for that, with new tables set up on the terrace and in the garden. “The advantage is that the cocktails of the English Bar can be tasted in any of these areas,” says the bartender. Pisco continues to be the protagonist of the novelties on the menu.

The pandemic -and the decrease in foreign tourism- brought the local public closer to trying different experiences in many hotels in Lima: from restaurants to special packages to spend the weekend. Many customs have changed, and the hotel sector has responded with new proposals for new clients, especially the youngest.

“We had been managing a reduced menu, but we have just implemented new alternatives such as our “chilcanados”, which are a version of chilcano with natural juices and pulps of both red and citrus fruits,” concludes Arteaga. Strip roast tequeños, prosciutto pizza with tomato confit or loin carpaccio with artisan toast are some of the appetizers available on a menu where the national distillate is the protagonist, but it is not the only thing available: the options range from a classic Manhattan to a refreshing caipirinha. Without a doubt, here the night can be eternal.

How to prepare a pisco sour in the style of the English Bar?

Ingredients:

-4oz of pure quebranta pisco

-1oz lemon juice

-1oz of simple syrup

-1 dash of egg white

-5 to 6 ice cubes

preparation:

Add the ingredients and shake vigorously in the shaker.

Serve in a previously chilled glass, leaving the ice in the shaker.

Finish with one to two drops of angostura bitters.

More information:

• Address: Calle Los Eucaliptos 590, San Isidro
• Hours: Monday to Sunday, from 12 m. at 11 p.m.
• Instagram: @restauranteperroquet