Pisco Sour
Pisco, lime, sugar and egg white, shaken to a thick foam and dotted with bitters. Peru's national drink.
- MethodShaken
- GlassSour (stemmed tumbler) glass
- IceNone (served up)
- Strengthabout 12.5% ABV
- BaseBrandy
- Tastesour, refreshing
Recipe
| 60 ml 2 oz | Pisco |
| 30 ml 1 oz | Fresh lime juice |
| 22.5 ml ¾ oz | Simple syrup (1:1) |
| 1 egg white | Egg white (or 25 ml aquafaba) |
| 3 dashes | Aromatic bitters (Angostura-style) |
Garnish. Three drops of aromatic bitters on the foam, which can be dragged into a pattern with a cocktail stick.
Method
- Put the pisco, lime juice, syrup and egg white in a shaker without ice and shake hard for 10 seconds to build the foam.
- Add ice and shake again for 12 to 15 seconds.
- Double strain into a chilled sour glass and let the foam settle for a moment.
- Shake three drops of bitters onto the foam.
About the Pisco Sour
The Pisco Sour is a sour built on pisco, the grape brandy of Peru and Chile, with lime, sugar and egg white for a thick, silky foam. It is bright and floral, with the grape aromas of the pisco showing through the citrus, and the bitters on top add a spicy scent. It is Peru's national cocktail and one of the great sours.
History
Documented
The Pisco Sour is linked to Victor Vaughen Morris, an American who opened Morris' Bar in Lima, Peru, in 1916. The earliest known printed mentions of the drink by name are advertisements for his bar from the early 1920s. The version with egg white and bitters became the Lima standard during the 1920s and spread through the city's grand hotels. Peru celebrates a national Pisco Sour day each February.
Legend and lore
Morris is often called the drink's sole inventor, and his bartender Mario Bruiget is often credited with adding the egg white. A Peruvian cookbook of 1903 already gives a pisco cocktail shaken with egg white, which weakens both claims. Chile also claims the Pisco Sour as its own, and the two countries dispute the name pisco itself.
Disputed or unclear: Exactly when and by whom the drink was first made, and when egg white was added, are disputed between Peruvian and Chilean accounts; the timeline year is approximate.
Variations
- Chilean Pisco Sour. Made with Chilean pisco and usually lemon or small limes, often without egg white or bitters.
- Whiskey Sour. The same sour-with-egg-white structure, with bourbon and lemon.
- Amaretto Sour. A sweeter almond sour, also with egg white.
Bartender's notes
- Peruvian limes are small and sharp; if yours are mild, add a little lemon to make up the acidity.
- Shake without ice first (the dry shake). It gives a thicker, longer-lasting foam.
