The story of the El Capitán cocktail is one of migration and cultural encounter—specifically, between Italy and Peru. Its two main ingredients are closely tied to these nations and their people.
A Cocktail Tale Woven Between Italy and Peru
On one side, there’s vermouth, whose modern version dates back to the mid-eighteenth century and finds its homeland in the city of Turin. On the other, there’s pisco, the South American distillate whose origins are disputed between Chile and Peru.
For the purposes of this story, the focus shifts to Peru and the wave of immigration that saw Italians arriving throughout the 1850s and 1860s. This was part of what became known as the “great migration,” a historic phenomenon in which millions left Italy behind, crossed the ocean, and pursued a brighter future in the Americas. It was our compatriots who introduced vermouth to Peru—but for many years, no fusion took place with the local distillate.
Then, someone had the idea to mix them. No one knows exactly who did it first, nor when or where it happened. The most widely accepted theory is that it took place in the 1920s, possibly in the city of Puno, located on the western shores of Lake Titicaca, in southern Peru. And possibly thanks to army officers stationed there, who fell in love with the blend and helped spread it.
El Capitán Cocktail: The Recipe
The IBA has not established an official recipe, and even in Peru’s capital, Lima, El Capitán is made in different ways. Some use equal parts of pisco and vermouth, while others prefer a more generous pour of pisco. In some cases, the vermouth dose combines both dry and sweet versions. All this to say: the version we share here is just one among many.
One last note: it’s not entirely clear which type of Peruvian pisco is best suited for the drink. Given the presence of sweet vermouth, one might opt for either puro (made from non-aromatic grapes) or acholado (a blend of aromatic and non-aromatic grapes), in order to avoid an overly sugary profile.
Ingredients
- 60 ml pisco
- 60 ml sweet vermouth
- 1 dash Angostura
Method
Chill a cocktail coupe, then take a mixing glass, fill it with ice cubes, add the ingredients, and stir. Strain into the glass.
Garnish
One or two green olives.
Images credits of Julie Couder x Coqtail, location Ceresio 7. All rights reserved
