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LURE + TILL’S CARLOS YTURRIA CREATES DRINK MENU WITH PALO ALTO IN MIND
The cocktail
CRAFTSMAN Story by Elena Kadvany Photos by Veronica Weber
I
f you find yourself thirsty in downtown Palo Alto, you might wander into the Epiphany Hotel’s restaurant, Lure + Till, and order the Peninsula Punch, made with Kappa pisco, lemon juice, pineapple and basil. You might ask beverage director Carlos Yturria to tell you about Kappa pisco, a Chilean grape brandy he helped Grand Marnier develop a few years ago, and you’ll get a passionate earful of the history of the South American alcohol. “It’s not my job to educate people, but I do like a little history,” Yturria said. Pisco was developed by Spanish conquistadors who planted quebranta grapes in Peru and Chile in the 16th century. The liquor eventually made its way to North America, and Duncan Nicol at the Bank Exchange Saloon on Montgomery Street in San Francisco reportedly inventing the legendary “pisco punch” by mixing the South American brandy with pineapple, lime juice, sugar, gum arabic and distilled water, to the great delight of thirsty 19thcentury San Franciscans. Continued on next page
Carlos Yturria pours Benedictine as he prepares a “Steinberg Sting” cocktail at Lure + Till in Palo Alto.
April 11, 2014 ■ Mountain View Voice ■ MountainViewOnline.com ■
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