Food

Robert Devaney • August 17, 2015

“My signature cocktail is the one that is going to make you happy,” says the new head bartender at Bourbon Steak, Torrence Swain, when asked about his favorites and the latest in the high-end cocktail world.

Swain isn’t the only new feature of the restaurant at Georgetown’s Four Seasons Hotel. The bar and lounge were revamped with refinished floors, sporting beautiful stone mosaic inlays, as well as new artwork throughout the space. The window booth seating is new, along with new leather bar stools that provide visitors a view of the expanded backlit spirits display. The addition of stylish couches in the front of the lounge brings the seating to 60.

“The happiest people ever are at the bar,” said Swain, who arrived at Bourbon Steak after working as head bartender for the Farm Restaurant Group at Farmers Fishers Bakers at the Washington Harbour.

Bourbon Steak was honored by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington this year and brought a Rammy back to the bar: Cocktail Program of the Year. The bar’s departing bartender is Dwayne Sylvester, whom Swain called “my mentor.”

Look for Swain’s salute to Georgetown from his new perch: his M St. Apple Old Fashioned, featuring cardamom bitters and apple brandy as well as the requisite whiskey and sugar, a concoction inspired by his grandmother’s warm baked desserts. You can order it at the bar, beginning Aug. 1.

For Swain, Washington is part of his family history. His grandfather worked at the Washington Navy Yard. He grew up in Norfolk, Va., with his grandparents. “I was used to having people around the house,” Swain said. “Hospitality is a way of life for me.”

The affable mixologist offered a few quick answers at the bar. “I like all scotch.” ” ‘Mad Men’ has pushed cocktail culture.” “That’s right: bartending is nothing like Tom Cruise in ‘Cocktail.’ ” If one wants to know how a bartender plies his craft or builds a business, Swain does recommend a documentary — now on Netflex — “Hey, Bartender.” As for getting a drink in a timely fashion? Swain says, “It doesn’t have to take 15 minutes.” He says he aims for consistency and quickness.

Swain will launch his fully revamped cocktail menu in September for Bourbon Steak, chef Michael Mina’s modern American steakhouse, where President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have dined twice.
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Georgetowner • July 22, 2015

Chuy’s plans to expand further into Northern Virginia when they open in Woodbridge in October and Sterling in the end of the Q2 2016. Clarendon and Reston are also targeted. They are also looking at sites in Maryland – Rockville and Columbia.

Openings Update: British Columbia-based Earls Kitchen + Bar is expecting a late 3Q opening at their Tysons Corner location in the new Macerich project, TysonsOne. Please, no “apostrophe,” as it’s named for Earl Sr. and Earl Jr. (two Earls). Tadich Grill now expects to also open in late 3Q at 10th & Pennsylvania Ave. NW in D.C. Succotash is planning to start serving its unique brand of southern hospitality and food from Chef Edward Lee, in National Harbor, Maryland in August.

Southern food with a twist gains in popularity here, as Magnolia’s on King is expected to open this month at 703 King Street in Old Town, Alexandria, brought to you by Steve Fogleman and Mehrnoosh Rajabi. It seats 60 on the first floor dining room with a 30-seat second floor bar and lounge. Annapolis native Brian Rowe is the executive chef. He previously worked at Wolfgang Puck’s Grand Café in Orlando as well as Spago in Beverly Hills. He also did an internship with Chef Jacques Ganeu in Lyon, France. Hans Fogleman will be the pastry chef. Craft mixologist Zachary Faden will be in charge of the bar program, while Olivia Mills will act as service and beverage director.

Lupo Verde will have a sister operation in D.C.’s Palisades neighborhood at 4814 MacArthur Blvd. NW. Same owners as the one on 14th Street: Lahlou and Antonio Matarazzo. Actually, Lahlou owns the building and lives in the Palisades. He also owns Tunnicliff’s, Ulah Bistro and Station 4. Not only will it offer Lupo Verde’s signature homemade pastas, it will have an expanded menu of entrees. Their menu is by chef Domenico Apollar. It will seat 100 on two levels, with a lower level that houses a small gourmet market which will carry Lupo Verde’s homemade pastas and sauces. There is also a chef’s table on the lower level. An October opening is planned.

Just Opened: Annapolis-based Blackwall Hitch, a modern interpretation of a classic shore tavern, recently opened in Old Town, Alexandria on the waterfront adjacent to The Torpedo Factory, on Cameron Street. The two-level restaurant opens this month with 315 seats inside and 105 more on the patios.

&pizza opened a 44-seat restaurant with an outdoor patio at Pike & Rose in Rockville. The chain also launched its &wine program at its six D.C. locations. Kona Grill just opened in Rosslyn at 1776 Wilson Blvd across from where 100 Montaditos used to be.

Daring restaurant, bar and club pioneer (into under-developed neighborhoods) Joe Englert is planning to go yet again where no established restaurateur has gone before – Ivy City. He plans to open a coffee shop, beer garden, music venue and bouldering gym at 1240 Mount Olivet Rd. NE, not far from the Hecht’s warehouse. He partner is real estate investor Langdon Hample. The 3,500-square-foot coffee shop will be run by Qualia Coffee Roasters, the Petworth coffee shop. The beer garden and bar portion of the project is still on the drawing board, whether they go big or go smaller and local. Regardless, all that rock climbing (or bouldering) will result in big thirst for beer.

Paul Carlson of Vinoteca & family will be working to open The Royal in 3Q 2015. Named for the Florida Avenue corner liquor store that had occupied the space previously, The Royal will serve Latin-American food, which reflects the family’s Colombian heritage. The plan is to serve food all day long. The comfort food menu will be crafted by Chef Lonnie Zoeller. Expect exotic cocktails made with exotic fruit.

Quick Hits: Stanford Grill plans to open in the Tower Oaks area of Montgomery County in the 3Q 2015. Pinstripes is targeting Tysons Corner for a 4Q 2017 opening, as well as the second phase of Pike & Rose in Rockville.

Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth Associates, a public relations & marketing firm that specializes in the hospitality industry, providing creative connections through media relations, marketing initiatives, community outreach and special events. Reach her at: Linda@LindaRothPR.com or www.lindarothpr.com or #LindaRothPR.

Georgetowner •

You can’t say that the people involved in this year’s Chefs Go Fresh tour — in which a number of the Washington area’s top chefs climb on motorcycles and take a roaring ride into the country to explore the products, work, art, and ways and means by which small, local artisans and farmers produce the ingredients that make their way to restaurant tables, farmers markets and stores — aren’t dedicated.

The event was a joint effort supported by Loudoun County Economic Development, the Salamander Resort and Spa (along with its owner, Sheila Johnson), Profish, Atoka Properties and others, and hosted by the Georgetown Media Group and publisher Sonya Bernhardt.

They managed to pick the hottest day of the year for the ride, at least in the Washington and Virginia region. Reston Limousine provided a bus for members of the media and restaurant industry to make the journey to Loudoun County, Virginia, to support local farmers and artisans.

Things kicked off with a sumptuous and extravagant breakfast at Chef Robert Wiedmaier’s Brasserie Beck, at 1101 K St. NW, where chef bikers, including Wiedmaier himself, gathered early on a Monday morning. They started off with the buttery squash-blossom scrambled eggs with fresh herbs, a home tomato pie with a flaky crust and browned cheesy tops, homemade chicken sausage with still-green herbs popping of color, fresh berry and yogurt trifle, SOS with ground beef and gruyere cheese biscuits, thick-sliced Applewood smoked bacon, and more — and don’t forget the Bloody Marys and mimosas for the bus riders — all served up by chef Dean Dupuis.

The riders for the day included R.J. Cooper of Rogue 24; Christophe Poteaux, who has two French restaurants — Bastille and Bistrot Royal — in Alexandria; and David Guas of Bayou Bakery. Other chefs present included Cliff Wharton of Urban Heights; James Martin of Restaurant Nora; K.N. Vinod of indique; Sean Wheaton and Robert McGowan of Clyde’s at Market Center; Ryan Sticknell and Dylan Todd from Earls; Tabbard Inn’s , Holly Barzyk, and others — in total, around 50.

With biker-theme-appropriate heavy metal music booming out, Wiedmaier and Bernhardt greeted participants by urging them to continue to meet and support local farmers and artisans. “This is a nice day for a ride, right,” Wiedmaier said. “It’s also a way to highlight the fact that we have some of the best produce — healthy and direct from the farm — that can be found right here in Virginia and Maryland, right in our surrounding area.”

This time, the Chefs Go Fresh motorcycle-bus-and-car entourage took off to the Lovettsville area in Loudoun County, with visits to three different, and smallish, farming operations centered on animals: goats for cheese, and sheep and pigs for the market. All were part of the Community Supported Agriculture program.

The journey, roaring out of Washington and onto toll roads, took to the back roads of Loudoun County, where the occasional development competed for skyline with large properties and homes, set back from lush green front yards. Set off from the winding roads of Lovettsville, the journey came to a stop at Georges Mill Farm, Milcreek Farm and Spring House Farm.

In a general way, the trip was a celebration of a way of life — families making a living on the farm, still; couples — with children and dogs — finding their way back to the land. It’s about a way of life, as much as it is a process of, say, raising goats, chickens, sheep and pigs; and the land and produce; and ingenuity and stick-to-it-ness necessary to do that. It’s about barns and grass, hillsides and pens, bales of hay, and fences and pens, and the thickness of brush and trees.

It’s about Molly Kroiz, who’s holding forth in a barn on Georges Mill Farm on a hot summer’s day; about making cheese; carrying her sleepy-eyed nine-month-old daughter, Mabel, while her husband, Sam, stands in the background. She talks about the process, raising the herd of dairy goats and working the property, which has been in the family for eight generations.

They have a shop on the premises, and so far they make small batches of six different varieties of goat cheeses — like Cavalry Camp Ash, a semi-soft bloomy rind cheese named for the 6th NY Cavalry, which spent the winter of 1864-65 camped on their property — all of which can be found at local farmers markets and small shops, or ordered by individuals for delivery. It’s a kind of way of life: planning, running a business, caring for the goats, doing the milking and creating the cheeses — while living a family life.

“The goats do not, by the way, eat everything,” Molly says. “But they have a way of getting into plants and stuff they shouldn’t eat, like poison ivy, so you have to be careful. And yes, they will eat paper. They love paper.”

The Kroizes’ two Great Pyrenees dogs coexist amiably and peacefully with the goats, although “the goats try to butt them sometimes, to get them to play,” Sam says. On their way out, visitors from Chefs Go Fresh made their way into the Kroizes’ quaint country store to buy some of the fresh-made goat cheese. Learn more at [(georgesmillcheese.com)].

Down a ways at Milcreek Farm in Lovettsville, it’s a different sort of operation, but with a similar spirit, as embodied by Donald Ulmer, a man who has been farming all of his life. “It’s my life, and I never wanted to do anything else,” he will tell you as he talks about lambing, the cycle of birth-raising, shearing and readying the sheep for market — there are also chickens, turkeys and other livestock on his farm. He’s wearing a Coastal Carolina cap, a nod to the university his son Kendall attends. “He’s studying marine biology,” Ulmer said, “and he’s doing really well. He’s lived the life here. He’s got discipline and knowledge, and patience for details. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best kind of life there is.”

“Farming,” he says, “that’s a full-time job and you gotta be ready for it. There’s no real clock, nine-to-five or anything like that. You have to be prepared to be out there to lamb at four o’clock in the morning, making sure things go smooth. It’s a difficult process. The lambing is only in the winter and spring, and you have to make sure the lambs make it safely through the process.”
Shearing is a special time at the farm — weavers in the area come to collect the leavings for free, and freshly shaved sheep bounding around, ostensibly showing of their new ’dos. For more info, go to [(milcrk.com)].

On Spring House Farm, owner Andrew Crush originally set out to raise sheep and goats but his livestock kept getting bitten by rattlesnakes and copperhead snakes, which led to sickness and death. He approached a veteran farmer in the area who told him, “You need to get yourself a pig,” adding, “Snakes are to pigs like cupcakes are to a fat boy.”

Crush says the problem went away “immediately” and now the livestock, consisting of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, run free on five expansive plots of partially forested land that Crush owns as part of the farm. The pigs, ranging from small to huge, mostly huddle together in groups though, with roosters and chickens clucking and crowing in their pens nearby. Crush offers several varieties of pigs being raised for market, some of which were taste-tested during Chefs Go Fresh. The meat can also be tasted locally at D.C.’s Birch and Barley. Visit [(www.springhouse.farm)].

After the stops, it was off to Middleburg for a late afternoon lunch of oysters, refreshingly authentic jerk chicken, Sloppy Joes made from grass-fed beef, a vegetable medley and other savory dishes. All products were provided by the farms and sponsors of the tour and prepared at Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Resort and Spa — a startling and elegant vision in Middleburg — after a day of exploration in the back roads of Lovettsville.

Charlene Louis • July 16, 2015

For the last dozen years, the Popal name has been synonymous with French-style cuisine in D.C. With Malmasion and Café Bonaparte, both in Georgetown, and a flood of other French bistros, it was time for something different.

In April of this year, Zubair and Shamim Popal, and their three children, Omar, Mustafa and Fatima, decided to “return home,” converting Napoleon Bistro and Lounge, located in Adams Morgan, into Lapis. Billed as “A Modern Afghan Bistro,” Lapis, named after Afghanistan’s deep-blue national gemstone, features homemade Afghan recipes prepared by the Popal family’s most prized culinary asset: mom (Shamim Popal, that is).

Popal personally created the menu with family recipes, including tapas-style small plates of traditional Afghani food and some not-so-traditional dishes, such as shrimp ashak (dumplings), a favorite of Omar.

Upon walking into Lapis, one gets a feeling of home and comfort. With the hand-carved doors and the tongue-in-cheek descriptions in the menu, it’s very clear that Lapis is a restaurant designed to show off the family’s style
of enjoyment around the dinner table.

Famous for its kabobs and meat dishes, Afghan cuisine pulls many of its influences from Persian, Indian, Chinese and Mediterranean cultures (hence the dumplings and chutneys). With all the traditional options available, what was most surprising was the number of vegetarian and vegan options. Who knew Afghanis ate so many vegetables? Lapis offers many delectable stewed-vegetable dishes that can easily be converted to vegan without losing their essence and flavor.

Though the idea of tapas-style dining puts some people off (for being overpriced and not very filling), the portions at Lapis are large and shareable, allowing for the true experience of Afghan cuisine.

The only difficulty one might have is deciding between the baked eggplant with sautéed tomatoes, topped with garlic, yogurt and dry mint, or the ground-beef meatballs, mixed with carrots, herbed tomato sauce, cilantro, shallots, garlic, ginger and coriander. Personal recommendation: just get both.

To top it off, Lapis offers inventive cocktails and a brunch menu that blends modern and traditional Afghani styles.

Lapis is located at 1847 Columbia Rd. NW.
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Sallie Lewis •

As Americans celebrate the Stars and Stripes on July 4, the French will be preparing their own celebrations for Bastille Day on July 14. In a perfect world, we’d like to imagine ourselves sitting in a soft, woven chair as we dine at a Parisian bistro, indulging in salade verte, cuisse de canard and assiette de fromage, while parade-goers cheer and chant along the Champs-Élysées. But, alas, Paris will have to wait. Luckily, the magnifique montage of French restaurants in Georgetown is the next best thing.

Bistro Lepic and Wine Bar, which celebrated its 20th anniversary earlier this year, will host a weeklong independence celebration Sunday, July 5, through Tuesday, July 14, with live jazz performances on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Chef George Vetsch’s renowned menu includes French specialties such as escargots au beurre d’ail (Burgundy snails baked in garlic butter); rognons de veau, sauce Dijon (veal kidneys with Yukon gold potatoes and Dijon mustard sauce); and an ile flottante (floating island of soft baked white eggs atop crème anglaise).

At the newly opened Maxime Steak Frites and Bar (formerly Rialto), Francophiles will find a fine array of French fare, from cheese and charcuterie plates to warm quiches and savory mussels with hand-cut fries. The restaurant’s “La Formule” menu option is a $19.95 prix-fixe favorite that includes a fresh-baked baguette with salted butter, a mixed-green salad and a top-sirloin steak glazed in the restaurant’s signature béarnaise sauce, with a side of fries (seafood and vegetarian alternatives are also available).

This M Street newcomer exudes a rustic bistro vibe with art and exposed brick walls. Furthermore, the affordable price-point makes it accessible and inviting to a younger crowd. The restaurant is open every day for dinner and has a weekend brunch with sweet crepes, French toast, Belgian waffles and an assortment of egg dishes.

Across the street at Bistro Francais, chef Gerard Cabrol will have both his a la carte menu and a special $35 three-course menu in honor of Bastille Day. Indulge in a number of French fancies like clams Provençal, homemade onion tart, bouillabaisse with seafood and roasted duck breast. We’d also like to try the napoleon for dessert, s’il vous plait.

At the nearby Chez Billy Sud, chef Brendan L’Etoile will be serving his classic cuisine from the south of France alongside a handful of Bastille Day specials. Stop by for a memorable meal over a glass of rosé on the charming outdoor patio, or sit inside and relish the space’s très chic interiors, colored mint green and gold.

Finally, for a special night out, make a dinner reservation at Marcel’s, Georgetown’s preeminent destination for haute French cuisine for more than 16 years. The beloved restaurant was awarded the top honors for Service Program of the Year at June’s 33rd annual Rammy Awards Gala. This well-deserved accolade exemplifies chef Robert Wiedmaier’s continued stature as a leader in the D.C. dining community. [gallery ids="117491,117485" nav="thumbs"]

Linda Roth • June 22, 2015

From those wonderful folks who brought you Ripple and Roofers Union comes Jug & Table. Drawing on the best of both, it expounds on Ripple’s mission of making quality wine approachable while offering Marjorie Meek-Bradley’s new menu. That menu includes lux snacks served in très chic jars, as well as an international array of grilled cheese sandwiches, created upstairs in the beer-centric Roofers Union kitchen. This new addition to Adams Morgan (across the street from my new office) offers 20 wines by the glass as well as sharable jug options. Sommelier Theo Rutherford started as Ripple’s sommelier before going on to helm wine programs at Rogue 24, Fiola and Café Dupont. Now he’s back.

Chef Update: Executive chef Brian Sonoskus takes the reins at Tupelo Honey Café, slated to open in the Clarendon/Courthouse section of Arlington as this issue goes to press. Tyler Alford will be chief mixologist at this Southern-food inspired restaurant, which showcases craft sparkling sangria and 23 craft beers. Lisa Odom has been tapped as executive chef at Succotash, slated to open mid-summer at National Harbor. She hails from Miami, where she worked at Oolite Restaurant & Bar and Tongue & Cheek. There is an additional connection to Succotash culinary director Edward Lee, of Louisville, Kentucky: they are both Korean Americans who developed their culinary reputations in the South.

Cathal Armstrong will open One Loudoun in early 2016, next to Uncle Julio’s and across from Matchbox in the central artery of the project’s downtown section. Concept TBD.

Nick Stefanelli, formerly of Bibiana](http://www.bibianadc.com/), plans to open Masseria in the Union Market district. The name derives from a farm in Italy’s Puglia region. Slated to open this summer, it will seat 60 in a setting evocative of an Italian country estate. His team includes David Kurka, general manager and advanced sommelier, formerly of Brabo and CityZen; and Julien-Pierre Bourgon, head bartender of cocktail lounge PX.

DC-based [Matchbox Food Group](http://matchboxfoodgroup.com/home) announced plans to open three more locations in Northern Virginia in the next year — in Pentagon City in Arlington, Potomac Mills in Woodbridge and One Loudoun in Ashburn. The company used a “friends and family” fundraising model to start off, but will soon offer opportunities to accredited investors.

Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill](https://www.woodranch.com/), which features Texas-style brisket, St. Louis smoked ribs and Carolina pulled pork, plans to open in Springfield Town Center in Virginia on June 8. This will be the California-based chain’s 16th location and the first outside of the Sunshine State. The company plans to eventually open 25 East Coast locations, including several in the D.C. area.

The [RAMMYs](http://www.ramw.org/) were born one year before David Letterman began “The Late Show.” The 33rd annual RAMMY Awards Gala takes place Sunday, June 7, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Pavilion sponsors include the Embassy of Argentina, with Argentine chef Diego Biondi; Wines of Chile; Foods from Chile; Meat and Livestock Australia; and the Embassy of Peru, which will have a full pisco bar.

Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth Associates, a public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the hospitality industry. Reach her at Linda@LindaRothPR.com.

Kelly Byrnes •

The Rammy awards proclaimed Fiola Mare as this year’s best new restaurant in Washington, D.C. The Washington Harbour-based seafood restaurant, which opened its doors in Februrary 2014, beat contenders Crane & Turtle, the Partisan, Republica and TICO to earn top marks.

The Rammy is the latest honor for chef-owner Fabio Trabocchi’s eatery, which has made a splash since its debut. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have dined there. Fiola Mare was featured in the March 12, 2014, Georgetowner with Trabocchi and his wife Maria shown on the cover.

The Italian-inspired cuisine has also launched Fiola Mare onto Washingtonian’s Best Restaurants list, Wine Enthusiast’s Best Wine Restaurants. The restaurant was named Zagat’s Best Restaurant in D.C.

Trabocchi’s menu highlights an extensive wine list, seafood dishes like lobster ravioli and elegant Italian pastries.

The husband-wife team manages two other D.C. restaurants, Fiola and Casa Luca, located in the Penn Quarter and Mount Vernon Square neighborhoods, respectively.

Sponsored by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, the 33rd annual Rammy awards honored local chefs and restaurants in 21 different categories.

Aside from Fiola Mare, three other Georgetown-area establishments—Bourbon Steak,Pizzeria Paradiso and Capella Hotel —were selected for Cocktail Program of the Year, Beer Program of the Year, and Pastry Chef of the Year for Agnes Chin of the Grill Room at the Capella.

To learn more about Chef Fabio and Maria Trabocchi, click here

As provided by Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, the following is a complete list of winners of the 33rd Annual Rammy Awards:

Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year: EagleBank

Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award: Herbert Miller, Western Development Corporation, Chairman & CEO

Restaurant Employee of the Year: Evan Labb, Evening Star Cafe

Restaurant Manager of the Year: Joseph Cerione, Blue Duck Tavern

Rising Culinary Star of the Year: George Pagonis, Kapnos

Service Program of the Year: Marcel’s by Robert Wiedmaier

Regional Food and Beverage Producer of the Year: Catoctin Creek Distilling Company

Favorite Gathering Place: Bar Pilar

Upscale Casual Brunch: Le Diplomate

Everyday Casual Brunch: The Daily Dish

Favorite Fast Bites: Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza

Upscale Casual Restaurant: Mintwood Place

Everyday Casual Restaurant: DGS Delicatessen

Beer Program of the Year: Pizzeria Paradiso, Georgetown

Cocktail Program of the Year: Bourbon Steak

Wine Program of the Year: Iron Gate

Pastry Chef of the Year: Agnes Chin, The Grill Room

Formal Fine Dining Restaurant: The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm

New Restaurant of the Year: Fiola Mare

Restaurateur of the Year: José Andrés and Rob Wilder, ThinkFoodGroup

Chef of the Year: Victor Albisu, Del Campo and Taco Bamba

Jody Kurash • May 21, 2015

Anyone who follows my column knows about my love affair with pisco, which started when I lived in Peru. Little did I know then that pisco has a Bolivian partner-in-crime called singani.

Peru and its landlocked neighbor, Bolivia, share many things, including the Incas, the Andes, alpacas and altitude. When it was part of the Spanish empire, the area that became Bolivia was known as Alto (Upper) Perú.

Many folks regard Bolivia’s national liquor, singani, as a variation of Peru’s pisco, but there are distinct differences. While it’s true that both are technically brandies forged from grapes, singani differs from pisco because it is made from one specific varietal: white Muscat of Alexandria grapes. Singani hails from the Bolivian Andes and can only be produced within its appellation or specified landmark boundaries.

According to singani.com, distillation began in the 1500s when settlers began producing wine. The affluent residents of Potosí, a silver-mining town that was one of the richest cities in the world in its day, began to ask for a stronger drink with which to celebrate. In the community of Singani, a distilled spirit was produced for the wealthy. “Singani” has been in production ever since.

I got a chance to sample singani last autumn when I was traveling through Bolivia. In La Paz, I met up with one of my dearest Peruvian friends, Miguel Luis Roque, a musician who had been staying and playing in Bolivia for several months. During his time traipsing throughout the country often referred to as “the Tibet of the Americas,” Miguel had developed an appreciation for its native spirit.

Singani has a smooth taste and a hint of sweetness similar to pisco. However, Miguel wanted me to appreciate the subtleties of my newly discovered elixir. He insisted on doing a side-by-side comparison between singani and a bottle of pisco I had brought from Peru. When weighed against one another, I found singani to be a bit drier, with a slightly spicier flavor.

After sampling each straight up, we mixed them both in a traditional Bolivian cocktail called the chuflay. Technically a highball, a chuflay consists of singani mixed with lemon soda (or sometimes ginger ale). It’s usually served in a collins glass, garnished with lime.

This cocktail was a breeze to make. In the corner stores, we found a super-tart carbonated lemonade drink sold in liter bottles. This beverage was an excellent complement for the tangy flavor of the grapes, and the tender spiciness of the singani gave it a bit of a zesty aftertaste. It was as refreshing as breathing La Paz’s 12,000-foot mountain air.

I later learned that singani is free of methanol, which accounts for its smoothness. It also contains no congeners, which can contribute to hangovers. I appreciated this fact when I got up four hours after our tasting session to go mountain biking on Bolivia’s notorious highway of death.

For a long time, the only way for Americans to enjoy singani in their home country was to bring it back in their suitcases after a trip to Bolivia. However, according to websitesinganiusa.com, Ace Beverage in Washington is the first place where singani formally went on sale in the U.S. Movie buffs will be interested to know that Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh has begun producing his own brand of singani (Singani 63) that can be purchased online.

The traditional toast when drinking singani is “La vida es buena” (“Life is good”). I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment on the joyous day when I spent the night reminiscing, not only with close amigo Miguel but with my Lima-based travel partner (and Miguel’s former music collaborator) Lowell Haise Contreras. Cheers!

The Chuflay

1.5 ounces singani

4 ounces lemon soda or lemonade

Add singani to a collins glass, then add lemon soda. Garnish with lemon or lime.