A Spanish Island Idyll

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Adaptedfrom“ThePiscoBook,” byGregoryDicum 2ouncespisco,preferably OroQuebranta 1/2 ouncefreshKeylimejuice 3ouncesgingerale, preferablyFever-Tree 3or4dashesAngostura bitters. Combinepiscoandlimejuiceina Collinsglass.Addiceandjuiced limeandfillwithgingerale.Stir gentlyandtopwithbitters. Yield:Onecocktail. PISCOGINGER (A KACHILCANO) 8 TR THENEWYORKTIMES,SUNDAY, APRIL15,2012 ByANDYISAACSON PISCO,thenationalspiritofPeru, isatrickster:itappearsso clearandpure—yetbefore long,youareunderthetable. Peruviansliketosaythatgood piscowillnevergiveyouahangover,al- thoughafterarecentnightinLima,Ibeg todiffer.Piscoismadefromasingledis- tillationofyoungwinethatholdstheva- rietalqualitiesofoneofeightdifferent grapesfromwhichitcanbemade.And likeChampagneortequila,Peruvianpis- coisanofficialappellation;tobebona fide,itmustadheretostrict,traditional productionmethods.Nothing—noteven water—canbeadded. Piscohasbeenmadeinthedrycoastal valleysofsouthernPerusinceatleast theearly17thcentury,andhasbecome inextricablylinkedtothecountry’siden- tity.ThespiritmustbeservedatPeruvi- andiplomaticfunctionsaroundthe world.Thenationaldrink,thepiscosour, isanindigenousmarriageofpisco,the distinctivePeruvianlime,eggwhiteand bittersderivedfromthebarkofaPeruvi- antree.(Itevenhasitsownnationalday ofcelebration.) AsPeru’sfortuneshavegone,sohave thoseofpisco,reachingagoldenage duringtheflushmineralboomofthelate 19thcentury,whenaninfluxofItalians introducedrefinedwinemakingtech- niques.InLima’sbars,piscoflowedcopi- ouslybackthen,thoughitwasChilethat firstestablishedthespiritasadenomi- nationoforiginin1931,stakingamarket- ingclaim.(Chileanpiscoisanaltogether differentproduct,withdifferentingredi- entsandprocessesthatyieldadifferent flavor.)Bleaktimesfollowed:amidSo- cialistlandreformsandoftenviolentpo- liticalconflictsthatplaguedPerufor mostofthelastcentury,thequalityand reputationofpiscosank.Limeñosdefect- edtoforeignwhiskeyandvodka—any- thingbutpisco,thenconsideredthetip- pleofold-timersanddrunks. Inthelastfewyears,though,asPeru’s circumstanceshavereversed,dedicated pisquerosarenowproducingexcellent piscos,andthemixologyrenaissance thathastouchedmanyoftheworld’scit- ieshasalsolandedinLima’sbars.Here arefourspotsinthecapitalcitythat,in theirowndistinctiveway,reflecthowPe- ruvianshaverediscoveredtheirnative spirit. PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDY ISAACSON FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES FROMLEFTApiscococktailwithgoldenberryatHuaringasBar,aChilcanoatMarasintheWestinhotelandElVerdecito,front,atCalaareamongthosedrinksthatshowcasethespirit’srevival. PURSUITS InLima,CapturingPeru’sNativeSpirit OnarecentlateFridayafter- noon,thisswankbeachfrontspot feltlikeMalibu:fromabackpatio suspendedoverthesand,well- tannedpatronssippedcocktailsin viewofsurfers.Thecocktailsin handarethecreationsofEnrique Vidarte,widelyconsideredthe city’smostinventivepiscomixolo- gist.Hiswell-balancedconcoctions areaperfectshowcaseforthedif- ferentpiscovarietals:ElVerdecito, adeliciousgreenslurriedcocktail servedinamargaritaglass,blends piscoItalia,withabrightcitrusand sweetfloralnose,togetherwith mintleaves,sugarandPeruvian limejuice(22nuevossoles,or$8at 2.73nuevossolestothedollar). The42cocktailsonMr.Vidarte’s menuaremostlyhisown,butthere areafewclassics,liketheCapitán. Adrymixofpiscoandredver- mouth(thedrink’swhiteandred stripesconjureaPeruviannaval captain’sinsignia)andamaretto, thedrinkisathrowbacktothespir- itedsceneofthe1920satLima’s GranHotelBolivar,whereitwas popularized—somebelieveinre- sponsetothedroughtofAmerican whiskeyduringProhibition. Cala,AvenidaCircuitoVialCosta Verde;PlayaBarranquito;Espigón B2;Barranco;(51-1)252-9187; calarestaurante.com. Cala NoPeruviancocktailismore classicthanthepiscosour.Invent- ed,paradoxically,byanexpatMor- monfromUtahnamedVictorMor- ris,therecipewascanonizedinthe 1930sattheHotelMauryinLima. Thesedays,theMauryservesa warm,overlysweetversionto touristswhodon’tknowitisnot therealthing. Forthat,IheadedtoBarInglés, awood-paneledretreatinsidethe grandCountryClubLimaHotel, wherethedrink(26nuevossoles) ismixedbyRobertoMeléndez,and isadirecttransmissionoftheorigi- nal.(Mr.Meléndez’sfatherworked atHotelMauryinthe1940s.) Mr.MeléndezreachedforPisco Qollqe,oneofthenew-waveartisa- nalbrands,andmeasuredouta preciseratio:fourpartspiscoto onepartlime,onepartsimplesyr- upandaneggwhite.Shakenand pouredintoachilledwineglass,it endedupwithalovelytoppingof foam.Healsoaddedafewdropsof bittersforfragrance. “This,”hesaidwithconfidence, “isthesamepiscosourthatwas servedattheHotelMaury.” BarInglés,LosEucaliptos590; SanIsidro;(51-1)611-9000; hotelcountry.com. BarInglés,CountryClubLimaHotel Thiscontemporarybarandrestau- rant,whichopenedthreeyearsago, wasstillquietwhenIarrivedfordin- nerat8:30.“It’searlyyet,”saidJaime Pesaque,32,Mayta’srising-starchef.I camenotonlyforMr.Pesaque’sinno- vativenewPeruvianfood,butalsofor histraditionalmacerados—infusions offruits,rootsandherbsthatPeruvi- anshavepreparedforcenturiesusing pisco. Overahundredclearglassbottles aresetupbehindMayta’sbar,likean apothecary,filledwithpiscosvibrantly infusedwithlocalingredientslike camucamu,yucca,ginger,rosepetals andlitchi,eucalyptus,mandarinand cocaleaves,usedtoflavorvariationsof Mayta’smostpopularcocktail,the Chilcano(20nuevossoles).Thetall,re- freshingdrink,purportedlyintroduced by19th-centuryItalianimmigrants, combinespiscowithgingerale,bitters andasplashoflimejuice. Aftersamplingaflightoffivesmall Chilcanos(50nuevossoles),Iretired tothediningroomtoenjoyadelicious, nine-coursetastingmenu(tunacevi- che,guineapigconfit;160nuevos soles).Anhourlater,thejointwas humming. Mayta,Avenida28deJulio1290;San Antonio;Miraflores;(51-1)243-0121; maytarestaurante.com. Mayta ThislivelyMirafloresbarisar- rangedinaseriesofelementally themedspaces,fromtheground room(earth)toanattic(air).By11 p.m.,alltheelementswerepopulat- edwithchatteringyoungprofes- sionalsdrinkingpiscococktails. “Theyoungergenerationhasde- velopedapiscoculture,”saidRosa- rioAlcorta,33,thebar’sbohemian owner.“Tenyearsago,they weren’tevenawareofit.”Indeed, Huaringaswasthefirsttotakethe piscosourinamoderndirectionby addingfruitflavors,likepassion fruit. “WhenIopened,olderbarmen wouldtellme,‘Whatareyoudoing, thisisn’tapiscosour!’”Ms.Alcor- tarecalled.“Nowyoucanfind theminChile.”Thecocktail(21 nuevossoles)wasabittootangy formytaste,butIenjoyedare- freshingcocaleafChilcano(20nue- vossoles),beforedecidingIhad imbibedenoughpiscoforoneday. “Peruhasgonethroughverydif- ficultperiods,”Ms.Alcortasaid. “ButPeruvianshavefound throughourfood,ourpiscoquality, awaytobeproud.” HuaringasBar,CalleBolognesi 472;Miraflores;(51-1)447-1133; huaringasbar.com.pe. HuaringasBar
OVERNIGHTER ByJUSTINBERGMAN FOLLOWING in the footstepsofforeignmissionaries, Chinese gangsters and Chiang Kaishek, I traveled to the mountain outpost of Moganshan looking for a breather from fullthrottle Shanghai. Before I reached my destination, however, I had an intimidating set of stairstoclimb. “It’s 84 steps,” said a smiling Tiger, the manager of House 2, the restored, early 20th-century villa where I’d be staying, as we peered up at the rickety stone staircase shaded by drooping branches of bamboo. Arriving at the top short of breath, I realized to my dismay it was another 37 steps to my room on the third floor. Though the climb was a challenge, the journey to Moganshan from Shanghai was a relatively easy one: a three-hour trip by train and car. That proximity, along with new lodging options that have reinvigorated the area, has begun to attract foreigners in recent years, more than a centuryafteritsoriginalheyday. The main draw, however, is what awaits at the top of those stairs: dense forests of bamboo and pine crisscrossed by hiking and biking trails, a lovely, tranquil respite from the crowded streets of Shanghai. Indeed, outside of those new accommodations, Moganshan has changed littlesinceitservedastheHamptonsofthispartofeasternChina. Moganshan was first settled in the late 1800s by missionaries and their families desperate to escape the heat and disease of swampy Shanghai summers. By the early 20th century, it had become a haven for that city’s foreign elite, who built sprawling stone mansions and whiled away their days playing on lawn tennis courts or lolling in the many swimming pools that dotted the mountainside. Itwasn’tlongbeforealessreputable sort turned up, including Du Yuesheng, also known as Big- EaredDu,andZhangXiaolin,two gangsters who ran Shanghai’s opium trade. Zhang kept pet tigers behind his villa and is rumored to have fed a mistress to oneofthem. Moganshanalsoattractedpowerful couples of a different stripe. Thedrugdealerssummerednext to Huang Fu, a Kuomintang foreign minister, who hosted the Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek and his wife, Soong Mei-ling, on their honeymoonin1927. The fun didn’t last for long. Though Moganshan was spared destruction during Japan’s invasioninthelate1930s,theCommunists soon took control and appropriatedthemountain’s stately stone villas for themselves. (Mao Zedong was reportedly another visitor.) It has taken decades for thespottoreturntoitsplaceasa popularsummerretreat. Mark Kitto, a British author and the former publisher of a magazine in Shanghai (where I once worked), was the first foreignertomovebacktothemountain in the mid-2000s. Mr. Kitto served as my guide in Moganshan, and as we zipped along the area’s curving roads on his motorcycle,hisdogCharlieinthe sidecar, he commented on the history of the homes, some of which have been renovated by developersandturnedintoguesthouses. At Huang’s villa, which is now a museum, Mr. Kitto pointed out a tree planted by Madame Chiang. “She taught Chiang Kaishek to dance underneath it,” he said.Inside,thehoneymoonsuite still has a wedding photo of the couple on a side table. Down the hall is another preserved bedroom,withblackandgoldShanghai Deco-style beds, where Zhou Enlai, the future first premier of Communist China, spent time during his secret meetings with Chiang to discuss a possible united front against the Japanese in- Round-tripticketsonthe high-speedtrainbetween ShanghaiandHangzhoustart at154renminbi($24at6.45 renminbitothedollar).JoannaKittocanarrangefora driverbetweenHangzhou andMoganshanfor250renminbieachway.NakedStablesalsohasaweekendshuttleservicebetweenShanghaiandMoganshanfor230renminbieachway.Thereisan 80renminbientrancefeeto themountain. LePassageMohkanShan (86-1865-728-5900; lepassagemoganshan.com). Doublesfrom1,500renminbi aperson,pernight,including IfYouGo vasion. The tennis court at Zhang’s old villaisnowovergrownandthetigercageislonggone,butanelaborate Chinese temple that he built remains, with red-painted lattice windows and nature scenes and flowers carved in the woodbeneaththeeaves. Both villas are on the itinerary of guided tours of the mountain providedbyMr.Kitto,whochronicles Moganshan’s history in his book “China Cuckoo” (“Chasing China” in the United States). His wife, Joanna, originally from Guangzhou, is also an area enthusiast, having renovated three other villas that she rents out — called House 23, 25 and 2—in an attempt to recreate the feeling of theresort’searlydays. Ms. Kitto said the dilapidated mansions had walls when she leased them from the People’s Liberation Army, the current owners, but little else. She rebuilt the floors in House 2 using recycled wood from old houses in the area and copied the mosaic patterns she saw in a neighbor’s bathroom that hadn’t been touchedsincetheearly1900s. allmeals. MoganshanHouse23,25 and2(86-572-803-3822; moganshanhouse23.com). Doublesfrom650renminbi pernight. MoganshanLodge(86-572- 803-3011;moganshanlodge .com).Offersbreakfast, lunchanddinner. NakedStables(86-21-6431- 8901;nakedretreats.cn). Earthhutsfrom1,725renminbipernight;tree-topvillas(withtwobedrooms) from5,290renminbiper night.Asisterproperty, NakedHomeVillage,hasdoublesfrom1,219renminbiper night. THENEWYORKTIMES,SUNDAY, APRIL15,2012 ALoftyRetreatFromSwelteringShanghai 200 MILES 500 MILES Moganshan Yellow R. CHINA Yangtze R. Hangzhou ZHEJIANG Beijing Area of detail VIETNAM Shanghai East China Sea Yellow Sea TAIWAN South China Sea THE NEW YORK TIMES She also runs the Moganshan Lodge, the only spot on the mountaintop where visitors can unwind with wine after a day of stair-climbingormountainbiking through the bamboo forests. The lodge has maps for self-guided hikesaroundthetopofthemountain or down the slopes into the surrounding valley, and visitors can also rent bikes from the Chinese-run Songliang Hotel next door. Despite the efforts of the Kittos, development on the mountain has been slow, thanks to resistance from the provincial government and the army, which owns a fifth of the old villas. Nearby, though, fewer bureaucratic hurdles have allowed foreign entrepreneurs to embark on far more ambitious projects, like the eco-resort Naked Stables Private Reserve, which opened last fall several miles from the mountain after a 200 million renminbi (about $31.7 million) investment from Grant Horsfield, the South African owner, and his architect wife,DelphineYip. For Mr. Horsfield, it wasn’t so much the history of the area that attracted him, but the proximity of such unspoiled countryside to Shanghai. His goal was to build a luxury property that was also sustainable, a new concept in China, where high-end hotels are adimeadozenbuteco-tourismis still in its nascent stages. If all goesaccordingtoplan,theoperators of Naked say it will be among the first resorts in the world to achieve LEED-platinum certification. IThasn’tbeeneasy,Mr.Horsfield added. He and his wife, the site’s master planner, worked with engineers and designers to create a resort that incorporated green building practices but didn’t sacrifice style or amenities. There are 40 rondavel-style villas — essentially westernized versions of African huts — with environmentally friendly rammed earth walls, as well as design features like thatchedroofs,rawwoodfurnishings and cowhide rugs. Another 30 villas nestled at treetop level were built with energy-efficient, prefabricated panels, though guests may be most impressed by the personal butler service and balcony hot tubs with panoramicviewsofthemountains. There were some missteps, like the pool lights that cost Mr. Horsfield a point toward LEED certification because of light pollution, and smart innovations. Each room has consumption meters that track water, electricity and gas usage. Guests receive a discount if their consumption is below the average by their stay’s end. “We’re not just going the first step of trying to be green by building an earth wall,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is show you that you can make a differ- ence,too.” Mr. Horsfield isn’tthe only foreigner enticing well-heeled guests back to Moganshan. Christophe Peres, a native LEFTTheNakedStablesPrivateReserve.TOPAwoman exploringthebambooforests andabandonedhomesnear Moganshan.ABOVEAworkerbuildingafireinHouse 23,asmallhotelandoneofa handfulofrenovatedstructuresinthearea. Frenchman, and his wife, Pauline Lee, spent nearly five years building the upscale 40-room hotel Le Passage Mohkan Shan. Theproperty,whichalsoisanorganic tea plantation, partly opened in December, with the rest scheduled for completion by October. Mr.Peressaidthathe,too,was inspired by the manor houses on the mountain, which is why he TR 9 PHOTOGRAPHS BY DANIEL GROSHONG FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES chose century-old, recycled wood and handmade French-style tiles for the floors. He also built a saltwater swimming pool with views ofthetea-coveredhillsandplanteda12,000-bushrosegarden.The Shanghainese chef has been well trainedinFrenchcuisine,andthe wine cellar is stocked with biodynamic French wines and Mr. Peres’shomemadepearbrandy. It has taken some time, but decadence is slowly returning to Moganshan. “When Chinese started to travel, they wanted to go far,” Mr. Peres said. “Now you have some people who have money to travel far, who’ve been to Europe — they want weekend escapes.” There are a few differences fromtheolddays,however. Political bosses may still drop in, but they leave their exotic pets at home. Æ
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A Spanish Island Idyll

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