Monday, 21st December, Arequipa: Peru’s oldest distillery
Yet more family. Hurray! This time, family comes in the form of Diego Munoz-Najar and his wife, Flavia. Diego runs the oldest distillery in Peru, that of Anis Najar. He is the 5th generation Najar to be at the helm, inheriting the place from his uncle around 7 years ago.
Diego gives us a tour of the distillery. The Bodega Najar was established in 1854 when the first Najar came over from Spain, intent on distilling his own anise to Spanish traditions. The process remains remarkably similar to its early days: the anise seeds are added to the alcohol in wooden barrels and left there for a week or so to infuse the alcohol with the flavour of anise seed.
The seeds are then sieved from the alcohol, and the alcohol goes to be distilled – in the very same distiller that the company has been using since its inception. From there, the alcohol is distilled once again, this time using large vats, the secret ingredient is added, and the liquid is then bottled. Simple really. It’s just the family’s secret recipe that you’re missing and you could start up your own little anis place.
In fact, one of the headaches of running the place is just that: the black market floods the market with imitation Anis Najar. He describes the country’s attitude to commerce as “informal” and says there is little protection (and thus incentive) for legit businesses. In an effort to curb the practice of bottling cheaper, poorer quality Anis in Anis Najar lookalike bottles, the company has just redesigned its bottle. Which should give him a grace period before the counterfeiters catch up.
The reason that we’d pounced on this relative of mine (with much super sleuthing help from my father to track him down in the first place – and thus the rest of the family) is that the Bodega Najar also distils Peru’s most famous of drinks: Pisco. Peru’s very own, distinctive variation of Latin America’s ubiquitous rocket fuel liquor, aguardiente (“fiery water” which can mean any distilled spirit). Pisco is made from grapes. A bit like Italy’s grappa, or brandy, it’s clear and boy, is it potent. Named after Pisco, the city and port just south of Lima, the region in which it was originally made, the grapes are now grown and distilled throughout the south of Peru. An American, in the 1920s, created a way of drinking it which stopped it from tasting like nail polish remover, and made it both socially acceptable and very popular: the Pisco Sour (which has its roots in the whisky sour). It’s a cocktail of Pisco, lime juice, simple syrup, egg white and Angostura bitters or a sprinkle of cinnamon. I find it delicious, but it’s also got a real kick, and a real gift for hangover. But, with the llama, it’s one of Peru’s most famous exports.
Sadly, the bulk of the work for the botega’s Centenario Najar Pisco is done off site, away from the Arequipan factory. The process is similar to that for wine or the Anis. We did get to see it bottled though, and, of course, to try some.
We then interview Diego and his wife of 15 years, Flavia.
