editorial
Hieleria Espíritu
santiago
I met Santiago Barco in the faculty. He was the son of one of my mom’s friends and both members of “The Prayers Group,” an almost extreme Catholic cult that existed in the 1990s, trying to save every other soul. Santiago is a friend photographer who worked for two decades as a journalist and, five years ago, changed course by developing a unique talent for capturing anything in ice.
Barco started an ice factory that he proudly named Espiritu, clearly reflecting all his passion in that label. He quickly specialized in creating various shapes for cocktails: spheres, sticks, and diamonds, right in front of the metro station in the heart of the hipster Barranco neighborhood. Last year, he moved to a larger space in Chorrillos, just two blocks from where I was staying in Lima at Alto Peru.
chorrillos
This place mutated into a bar where Barco collects on his counter some delicate spirits and bitters that he received from friends all over Latin America. His talents were blossoming like a superhero in puberty, and he had a fresh sensibility for assembling cocktails. All these exotic distillates ended up on the bar and we tried always resulting in a new blend sensation.
CALAVERA & TREN FANTASMA
The Peruvian gastroboom has motivated local production, and some specialty liquors have a distinctive national version. These spirits are more gentle and have a touch of spice, making them a new creative frontier for bartenders worldwide. For example, two ounces of Sinsonte (a peppers Aperol), two more of pink vermouth’s Avelino, and the last two of Matacuy (double-distilled cane liquor) and of course a pepper ice stick lets you make a Peruvian spicy Negroni. That’s what happens every day in the ice factory.
GOT PLANT & MALAMAÑA
In Chorrillos, with the help of local Venezuelan immigrant workers, Santiago runs the factory, expecting each summer to be hotter than the last one. He has frozen in ice layers plants, jewelry, or even clothes. You can ask for Santiago, and Vicente will surely run to open the door.
P.D: Santiago was the mastermind behind the spirits guide concept and introduced me back to Sergio Rebaza, a journalist and friend who worked with me at El Comercio newspaper. He and Pocho Caceres will join me on this still-unclosed adventure.
