Sunday, August 8, 2010

Terremoto


A Terremoto is a unique drink that cannot be found everywhere and is a must try for any visitor to Chile. Terremoto literally means "earthquake," and despite it's political incorrectness in Chile, is still used as a name. It consists of a generous portion of citrus ice cream (pinneaple maybe?) immersed in a very strong mix of sweet fermented white wine (
Pipeño)
and fernet, a bitter, herby liquor. When first served it is clearly separated, with the darker brown fernet sitting on top of the semi-transparent, yellowish-brown
Pipeño and the ice cream floating on top. After a little waiting and vigorous stirring, the whole concoction stars to mix, with the melted ice cream adding a creamy consistency and appearance to the drink. This critic sampled the Terremoto at La Piojera, a decidedly sketchy bar just off metro station Cal y Canto that is a necessary visit for anyone travelling through Santiago. Piojera comes from the word piojo, which means "lice." The walls and tables of the place are covered in handwritten messages and signatures, the whole place reaks of cigarette smoke, and the combination of conversations and wandering musicians makes for a very loud loud atmosphere. Also worth a try is the Marremoto (Tsunami), the close cousing of the Terremoto make with creme de menthe instead of fernet.

Price:
$3-$4

Appearance: Starts off looking like slightly dark cloudy white wine, but later resembles a frapuccino when sufficiently mixed and melted

Nose: You don't drink a Terremoto because of how it smells. It pretty much smells like a bitter mix of bad, old white wine and citrus ice cream.

Palate: Your first sip will not be pleasant. It is drank from a straw, and your first sip will most certainly contain just fernet and p
ipeño. It stings you with a bittery, sweet, over-fermented taste, similar to apple juice that has been sitting in your fridge for too long mixed with bittering hops. Resist the urge to dig in (it won't be hard), and wait for the ice cream to melt. You are then rewarded (somewhat) with a much more rewarding experience. The melted citrus ice cream does wonders to smooth out the bitterness and the sting from the admittedly very strong alcoholic drink.

Verdict:
So purely from a taste and olfactory sense, I haven't done a great job of selling this drink. Yet something about the combination of a sketchy atmosphere, the experience of sharing such a unique drink with some close friends, and probably the high alcohol content make this drink a must try. Strongly recommended (at least to try once).

1 comment:

  1. Nice place.. was there end of december 2015...(30-12) and your right ...its a must try 😃

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