Singani a versatile brandy from the Andes in Bolivia

Pisco has been making the rounds in cocktail bars of late, but have you tried singani? It’s Bolivia’s national drink: an unaged, clear brandy made from ripe Muscat of Alexandria grapes grown in the Andes at elevations of 5,200 feet or higher.

Technically an eau de vie, the light, grape-based spirit tastes aromatic and floral, with a mineral, sometimes peppery backbone and a velvety mouthfeel.

Made for over 400 years, the brandy used to rely on wild fermentation for its complex charms. The Bolivian government established a D.O. (denomination of origin) for the spirit in 1992 to distinguish it from the aguardientes, cachacas and piscos of neighboring Chile and Peru.

Director Steven Soderbergh fell so hard for singani while filming his 2008 movie “Che” that he added “importer” to his CV and, in 2014, launched the brand Singani 63.

At Friday Saturday Sunday in Philadelphia, bartender Paul MacDonald pairs singani with ingredients that contrast with its floral aspect. He makes a stirred drink with equal parts Singani 63, Bonal and Amaro Santa Maria al Monte.

The bitter amaro combined with the quininebased Bonal form “a dark, earthy flavor base; the singani lightens the drink and adds buoyancy,” MacDonald says. “I’m very picky about unaged brandies, and I don’t carry grappa. Singani is a great substitute for grappa as a digestivo. It’s made from floral, aromatic, intensely flavored grape, and that flavor is preserved in the final distilled product. It really shows off the skill of the distiller.”

In Chicago, Chef ’s Special Cocktail Bar offers a drink from its spritz menu called the Memory Palace, featuring a base of Cynar — the bittersweet artichoke liqueur — and singani, plus cava and seltzer for fizz, and grapefruit and lavender bitters for accent.

Chase Bracamontes, partner and general manager, loves to use singani in cocktails because it “offers floral delicateness and contrast without bitterness,” she said. “It is not quite as potent as gin and other spirits, so it is fun to split bases with.”

At Boleo, the rooftop bar at Chicago’s Kimpton Gray Hotel, the drink Goddess Love features singani, herbal green chartreuse, a tea shrub and pink peppercorn in an exotic cocktail that shows off singani’s versatility.

In Bolivia, singani is most frequently mixed into a Chuflay — a refreshing highball with Sprite or ginger ale.

At home, MacDonald suggests you make a singani sour, because singani is such a close cousin to pisco.

Not into egg whites? Try it as an elegant South American substitute for gin in a martini.

ABEL URIBE/CHICAGO TRIBUNE; SHANNON KINSELLA/FOOD STYLING Singani, an unaged brandy from Bolivia, has been around for years.