Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Terremoto

What You Need
Sweet or semi-sweet Riesling
Pineapple sherbet
Beverage pitcher


I was sitting on the couch in my boxers watching TV the other day and happened upon an episode of No Reservations featuring Tony's trip to Chile. During the first segment, I think, Tony is taken to a restaurant called El Hoyo in Santiago where he's introduced to a drink called a terremoto... a combination of a Chilean white wine called pipeño and pineapple ice cream. The word terremoto is Spanish for earthquake... the drink is so named either because it was invented for some journalists covering an earthquake back in the 80s or because it's supposed to get you inordinately shit-housed in a hurry.  Mixing wine and ice cream has just the right amount of fucked-upedness to make my ears perk up, so I wanted to make it. Thus I hurried to the magical internets to find a recipe. There I discovered plenty, all of which said "combine pipeño and pineapple ice cream". Real fucking helpful, assholes. So, I made my own.

Step 1: You'll notice by the ingredients that we aren't using pipeño. There's a good reason for that: unless you live in Chile, you're not fucking getting any. As it turns out, vino pipeño (as they call it in Chile) is a rather cheap wine made from extremely young grapes. It's fermented very quickly and has a very raw taste to it. It also doesn't travel well. Thus, I had to come up with a substitute, and I didn't have to look further than my personal favorite white wine: Riesling. Riesling is a German wine grown in colder climates. A sweet or semi-sweet Riesling should approximate pipeño in that the grapes are harvested young and are descended from a few wild varieties. Try to find a sweet or semi-sweet amber Riesling that doesn't cost too much (pipeño is made on the cheap). I found this bottle of Bob Mondavi Woodbridge for about $7. Use your little wine guy to open it.


Pour your wine into a pitcher


Step 2: You'll also notice we're not using traditional ice cream, but rather sherbet. Turns out, Chilean ice cream is actually more of a sorbet, but not quite. American sherbet is basically sorbet with a bit of dairy, so it should work. Also, while we're on the topic, IT'S PRONOUNCED SHER-BIT, NOT SHER-BERT YOU FUCKING MORONS. READ THE GODDAMN CARTON. DO YOU SEE A SECOND R? NO, YOU DON'T.
Using a regular sized serving spoon, chuck in five to six nice, big chunks of sherbet.


Step 3: Mix it all up with a big spoon. Cut the big clumps into smaller, more manageable pieces, then stir rapidly to soften and break up the sherbet. This takes a bit of work, so suck it up. You can serve immediately or toss the pitcher in your ice box and allow the sherbet to melt down.



Pour it in a glass and serve. Now, mind you... I've never been to Chile or tasted an authentic El Hoyo terremoto so I have no basis for comparison, but I will say this: the drink is fucking excellent. I would hesitate to call the drink sweet... there's definitely a sweetness there, but it isn't a dessert. It has sort of a thin milkshake texture that is actually really nice. The girlfriend (who could nurse a drink for days) and I finished the entire pitcher in right around twenty minutes, and even after the first glass it was pretty evident that a terremoto doesn't fuck around. I can put away straight liquor like a trash can and even I felt a little alcohol twinge that I don't normally get from wine.



So how did I do with the recreation? Well...

Pretty fucking good, I'd say. The color is dead on (not as evident in the picture because my kitchen is dark as shit) and it has the same frothy head. All in all, I'd have to say I'm pretty fucking incredible.

36 comments:

  1. This looks cold and yummy. And simple.

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  2. just in time for Summer and the heat!!

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  3. I am an ex-patriate and it is my favorite Chilean drink by far. You must have a terremoto and then follow it up with a "replica" (aftershock). It is a smaller version of the drink. I have yet to visit El Hoyo, but La Piojera in the Recoleta sector makes some badass terremotos. After one, you're done.

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  4. Thanks for the how to! Gonna try it tonight for sure.

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  5. isnt there supposed to be pisco in here too?

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    1. Sometimes you can add rum, Fernet, or pisco :) but if you add it is more effective to get drunk

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  6. This looks so good, I was just watching no reservations on Netflix and saw this episode and decided to look up this recipe and saw your blog. I can't wait to try this. I wil probably go through the whole damn bottle!

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  7. Pisco helps a lot if you want to die sooner, but you can also dash some grenadine or Fernet (to get it sweeter or bitter).
    Also helps to drink it with a plastic straw in a wider highball glass with the icecream floating on top. Then you can play around dissolving it xD

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  8. Just got back from Chile, you need to add about 2 shots of fernet

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  9. I enjoyed the basis and idea of this website, finally a place I can go to read a recipe and laugh while cooking, thank you!

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  10. I am currently watching the episode. I immediately googles this drink after seeing Anthony Bourdain rave about it. Will def have to try the recipe.

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  11. Cool, I was looking for a good "americanized" terremoto recipe. I am from Chile and was wondering what would be a good pipeño substitute. I know they add something else to the terremoto besides the wine and ice cream, like cognac or rum or fernet, but just a small amount.

    In Valparaiso though, they have the coastal version called Maremoto (or tsunami) which is white wine and pineapple ice cream.

    I'll try with the riesling!

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  12. I'm watching that episode right now

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  13. No shit - i live in AUSTRALIA and i'm up at 1am cause it's still 86oF outside and I can't sleep - and this show i've NEVER EVEN HEAR OF comes on called no reservations. With this American guy. And he's in Chile drinking this pineapple drink. and my first reaction is I HAVE TO MAKE THIS FUCKING DRINK. So I google it, and god-damn it if the first link I hit on is yours, where of course your opening line is

    "I was sitting on the couch in my boxers watching TV the other day and happened upon an episode of No Reservations featuring Tony's trip to Chile"

    It is fate. That's SO bizarre! Anyway. great blog. thanks for posting this recipe inspired by the exact scene in a random show i was inspired by. Now I just have to find some Pineapple sorbet....

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  14. Throw a little shot or two of pisco (chilean brandy made from grapes) to give it an extra kick. You can find pisco at your local hispanic market

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  15. Throw a little shot or two of pisco (chilean brandy made from grapes) to give it an extra kick. You can find pisco at your local hispanic market

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  16. Throw a little shot or two of pisco (chilean brandy made from grapes) to give it an extra kick. You can find pisco at your local hispanic market

    ReplyDelete
  17. Throw a little shot or two of pisco (chilean brandy made from grapes) to give it an extra kick. You can find pisco at your local hispanic market

    ReplyDelete
  18. Throw a little shot or two of pisco (chilean brandy made from grapes) to give it an extra kick. You can find pisco at your local hispanic market

    ReplyDelete
  19. Throw a little shot or two of pisco (chilean brandy made from grapes) to give it an extra kick. You can find pisco at your local hispanic market

    ReplyDelete
  20. Throw a little shot or two of pisco (chilean brandy made from grapes) to give it an extra kick. You can find pisco at your local hispanic market

    ReplyDelete
  21. Throw a little shot or two of pisco (chilean brandy made from grapes) to give it an extra kick. You can find pisco at your local hispanic market

    ReplyDelete
  22. Throw a little shot or two of pisco (chilean brandy made from grapes) to give it an extra kick. You can find pisco at your local hispanic market

    ReplyDelete
  23. Throw a little shot or two of pisco (chilean brandy made from grapes) to give it an extra kick. You can find pisco at your local hispanic market

    ReplyDelete
  24. Throw a little shot or two of pisco (chilean brandy made from grapes) to give it an extra kick. You can find pisco at your local hispanic market

    ReplyDelete
  25. Throw a little shot or two of pisco (chilean brandy made from grapes) to give it an extra kick. You can find pisco at your local hispanic market

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  26. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  27. For replace pipeño mix 50/50 any late harvest and a cheapest souvignon blanc. The mix (and the magic) make directly in the glass (17fl oz) put a spoonfull of pineapple icecream fill with pipeño (or you homemade mix) with a shot of granadine or fernet on the top (if you prefeer bitter or sweet ). Drink and mix with a plastic straw... Just be carefull, the chilean spirit take possession of you soul.... And your dignity xD

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  28. where the fuck am i gonna find pineapple sherbet now!!!?????? :(

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  29. If you live in San Francisco, Gelateria Naia in NorthBeach makes some killer pineapple sorbet. Just picked up a carton. It's rather pricey at $14. I looked all over the city and this is the only place I could find.

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  30. Where did you find pineapple ice cream?! and what brand is that? Went to two grocery stores already and they had nothing.

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  31. Thanks man for your help, I was trying to find some pipeño "no'ay pordonde mieeda encontrar wueas as( there is not funking way to find shit like that)"

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  32. I'm a chilean and I approve of your message ha it was cool to read you and yes you can hear some of the fellow comments suggesting to add either a shot of granadina or fernet branca! Enjoy! Thank you for sharing! ����

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  33. No idea that episode aired in 2011 or whatever. Watched it yesterday and then found myself scrambling for Pipeno. Thanks for the intel - will try this very soon. Love the site...

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