London Cocktail Week: Pisco Sours

With London Cocktail Week around the corner (3rd – 9th October) there’s no better time to try your hand at mixing a Pisco Sour, a Peruvian favourite.

Renowned for being Peru’s national tipple, Pisco was originally created in the early 1900s and boasts a sweet and light taste, gentle on the palette and has proven to be the perfect aperitif to accompany the delectable dishes on our hotel menus. For instance, the delicious cuisine served at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel is enhanced by the flavours of a variety of Pisco beverages on offer. One  in particular, that is a favourite amongst many, is the Pisco Sour de la Estacion, our seasonal Pisco Sour.

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Ingredients

  • 14 ice cubes
  • 8 ounces of Peruvian Pisco Quebranta
  • 2 ounces of sugar syrup
  • 2 ounces of lemon juice
  • ½ egg white
  • 4 drops of Angostura bitters

Try making your very own Pisco cocktail!

Fill the Shaker with six ice cubes and let cool for a minute. Discard the ice and add the Pisco Quebranta, the sugar syrup, lemon juice, the egg white and the remaining ice cubes. Shake for eight to 10 seconds, strain and serve in a cold glass. Garnish each glass with two drops of Angostura bitters.

Share your creations with us on Instagram and Twitter with hashtag #InkaterraCocktails.

New Menu at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba

Fresh seasonal ingredients, lovingly harvested from the on site eco farm, served up in creative interpretations of Peruvian classics – these are the main components behind the delicious new lunch menu, set to launch at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba. Take a seat in the hotel’s beautiful dining room and gaze out at the breath-taking views of the surrounding Sacred Valley whilst tasting some of the freshest and artfully crafted dishes in the region.

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Located high in the Andes, Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba is styled on a traditional farmhouse hacienda, with an on-site eco-farm producing fresh ingredients, which are harvested and incorporated into the hotel’s Earth to Table concept. Guests can enjoy famous dishes such as Lomo Saltado, Quinoa burgers or grilled fresh white fish, garnished with lavender, offering a culinary journey around the regions of Peru, channeled into one carefully crafted menu designed by Food & Beverage Manager Rafael Casin and Chef Gustavo Borja.

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Trout carpaccio with cushuros from the Sacred Valley, chicken breast stuffed with Andean cheese in Amaranto sauce, Lamay potato capchi and fava beans are highlights along with the hand-crafted gluten free pastas, catering to the tastebuds and requirements of all travellers.

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Inkagrammers

Here at Inkaterra, we love visuals and Instagram has allowed us a unique insight into our properties through the eyes of our visitors.

From exploring the Amazon Rainforest, to marvelling at the magnificent ancient Incan citadel of Machu Picchu, Instagram has enabled our intrepid visitors to share their ‘Inka experiences’ from Peru’s most iconic and cultural hotspots.

We have gone through the #Inkaterra and picked some of our top pictures from our ‘Inkagrammers’.

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@travel_with_rafa floating along the banks of the Madre de Dios River on his 45 minute transfer from Puerto Maldonado to Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica.

ctm725 inkagrammer@ctm725 braving the 40m high canopy walk in the Amazon Rainforest at Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica.

brittany.patterson InkagrammerA stunning shot of sunrise over the River Amazon, taken by @brittany.patterson on her stay at Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción.

screen-shot-2016-09-12-at-16-06-43One of the private cabanas at Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción taken by @dnh5023.

screen-shot-2016-09-12-at-16-12-21A fabulous shot of Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba taken by @rafa_rr77.

These represent just a small handful of the vibrant selection of images on display from our ‘Inkagrammers’ . We are delighted to see that our visitors are keen to share their individual perspectives of our properties and this amazing country with us and other users.

If you ever find yourself daydreaming of Inkaterra, be sure to search #Inkaterra or @inkaterrahotels to fulfil your Peruvian wanderlusting…

For more information on Inkaterra, please visit our website.

'Inka Routes'

This week’s #InkaRoutes: Our journey to becoming a pioneer in ecotourism and sustainability.

Our journey began in the unexplored Amazonian Madre de Dios region with a 10,000 hectare private ecological reserve, designed to generate eco-tourism at a time when ecology and conservation were not commonly recognised concepts. This reserve, now named Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, is still in operation 40 years on and receives guests from all over the world.

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From the Amazon, Inkaterra  turned its eye to the mystical Cloud Forest surrounding Machu Picchu. The Inkaterra development, now our popular Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, is home to an abundance of exotic flora and fauna.  Nature lovers can enjoy the Cloud Forest’s unique eco-system that draws in an array of exotic wildlife, guests may even spot a native Andean Bear.

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In addition to encouraging the regeneration of the Peruvian wildlife, Inkaterra also invests in the preservation of local history and culture. Inkaterra La Casona, located in the heart of Cusco is a 16th Century colonial mansion, was carefully restored to preserve the historical heritage and authenticity. The exclusive 11 room property went on to be the first Relais & Châteaux hotel in Peru.

On top of protecting wildlife and conserving culture, a priority for Inkaterra is producing delicious foods naturally. From organic tea plantations at Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, to farming at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, Inkaterra’s innovative nature shines through, delivering organic cuisine to guests straight from the Earth to table.

Inkaterra’s Executive Chef, Rafael Casin, pioneered the idea of growing local produce through traditional Incan methods, such as using tacllas (foot ploughs), carts and oxen.
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A great attraction of the concept involves guests at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba collecting food of their choice from the organic ingredients available around the hotel’s farm. Rafael Casin will then use these  to lovingly prepare  a delicious meal, offering guests a  unique taste and insight into the Inkaterra experience – memorable from beginning to end.

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For more information on Inkaterra visit our website.

#InkaRoutes – An insight into Inkaterra's exclusive itineraries

Here at Inkaterra, we’re dedicated to delivering authentic, immersive experiences to our guests, whilst striving to protect and preserve the flora and fauna that flourishes in Peru. From honeymooners to solo adventurers, families to bird watchers, we cater to each and every kind of traveller with an array of exhilarating itineraries. In celebration of #InkaRoutes, we’re giving you a whistle stop tour of four of our favourite Inkaterra itineraries…

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For Adventurers

This year, we’re celebrating our 40th ‘Ruby’ anniversary with an exclusive ‘Ruby Package’, which includes forty of our most celebrated activities, across four of our luxury properties. The nine-day adventure takes intrepid travellers from the heart of the Amazon rainforest, to the majestic Machu Picchu, from the cobbled streets of Cusco, to the rolling hills of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

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Beginning at Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, deep in the Amazon rainforest, explorers can meander through the winding jungle trails, discovering the scents and solitude of one of the world’s most biodiverse rainforests. Moving on to Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, tired trekkers can indulge in a purification session in the Andean Sauna, using stones heated in the cloud forest, before heading to the Sacred Valley to stay at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba. Their final stop is a colonial manor in the heart of Cusco, Inkaterra La Casona, where guests can enjoy an intimate dinner in the 16th Century colonial manor house.

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For Bird Watchers

With more than 1,800 bird species registered in Peru, approximately 20% of the world total, guests enjoying the Inkaterra bird watching itinerary have the opportunity to discover many of the 814 bird species registered within the Inkaterra properties. These include the iconic Cock-of-the-Rock, the Andean Mot Mot, the Golden Quetzal, Hummingbirds (18 species), migrating birds and many endemic species, which represent 93% of the total of bird species registered in Costa Rica.

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Birding enthusiasts are guided from the heights of the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway (at Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica in the Amazon rainforest of Southern Peru), encountering native orchids, birds and butterflies of the Machu Picchu cloud forest, to the well-preserved four-century fusion of colonial and Inca culture in the historic city of Cusco. They can also explore the rolling Sacred Valley of the Incas, from the luxurious Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, where 30 species of bird are currently registered. The regions on this itinerary were also part of the Birding Rally Challenges which took place in Peru, and at the Inkaterra properties, in 2013 and 2014 and soon to take place again late 2016.

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For Honeymooners

There’s nothing more romantic than being secluded in one of the most beautiful places on earth; falling asleep to the dull light of a flickering lantern, with the sounds of the surrounding rainforest for company – we offer adventurous couples a honeymoon that goes above and beyond the generic candlelit dinner. The multi destination experience promises exclusive access to unspoilt areas of the Amazon Rainforest, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Machu Picchu and Cusco.

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For the most unique and memorable honeymoon experience, the Inkaterra Canopy Tree House offers complete seclusion, immersed in the Peruvian Amazon. Situated on a private platform 100ft (30m) above the lush floor below, the Tree House provides second to none service, a star-lit dinner and a canopy night walk through the Amazonian tree-top world.

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For Families

From traversing tree-tops in the Amazon to farming in the Sacred Valley, Peru provides an authentic, natural setting to connect families with nature, adventure and vibrant culture. With multi-generational holidays being a key travel trend for 2016/17, we offer each member of the family an unforgettable experience, bonding with both each other and the local community.

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After spotting rare breeds of butterfly and practising bird calls in the Amazon, families head to the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, bonding over bonfires and barbecues, horseback riding, river rafting and gourmet picnics.

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Kids’ explorer pack in hand, children can observe rare orchids, marvel at the mystic Andean cloud forest and the winding trails that surround Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, before heading to Cusco to catch up on colourful Andean culture and cuisine.

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To see all of the itineraries we offer, click here.