Pisco Sour
A sour and balanced brandy cocktail ∙ Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 15.1% ABV ∙
The Pisco Sour is a South American sour of pisco, lime and lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white, finished with aromatic bitters on the foam.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Dry shake (without ice) all ingredients: Pisco 60 mlLime juice 15 mlLemon juice 10 mlSugar syrup 15 mlEgg white 20 mlOrange blossom water 2 ml
- Add ice
- Shake all ingredients with ice
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with aromatic bitters drops on the surface
Tips
- Stick to 2 ml of orange blossom water; that's enough to scent the foam, and any more makes the drink taste perfumed.
History
Historians and drink experts generally credit the Pisco Sour to Victor Vaughen Morris, an American bartender from Salt Lake City who moved to Peru in the early 1900s and opened Morris' Bar in Lima in 1916. Morris, who liked experimenting with new drinks, is said to have created the cocktail as a Peruvian take on the Whiskey Sour. Family lore adds that he first improvised it after running out of whiskey while serving a large crowd at a railway celebration in Cerro de Pasco, though the earliest documented mentions of the drink date only to the early 1920s. Some discrepancy remains over the exact date, with certain writers placing the invention as early as 1915 and others in the 1920s. A 1903 Peruvian cookbook listing an egg-white, pisco, sugar, and lime recipe simply called "Cocktail" has since complicated the Morris origin story, suggesting a version of the drink predates his bar.
The drink familiar today, made with egg white and Angostura bitters, is credited to Mario Bruiget, a Peruvian bartender who worked at Morris' Bar and refined the recipe in the latter part of the 1920s. After Morris' bar failed and he died in 1929, Bruiget and other former employees carried the recipe to rival Lima hotels, including the Hotel Bolívar and the Hotel Maury. The Maury's bar became closely associated with the modern version and is popularly, though not exclusively, credited as its home.
The Pisco Sour's origin is also disputed between Peru and Chile, each claiming it as a national creation; some Chilean accounts attribute an earlier version to an English steward in 1872. The cocktail gained wider international exposure through American promotion in the mid-20th century, and Peru made the first Saturday of February an official Pisco Sour Day beginning in 2004.
FAQ
What is a Pisco Sour made of?
Pisco, lime and lemon juice, sugar syrup, egg white, and a touch of orange blossom water, finished with a few drops of aromatic bitters on the foam.
What kind of alcohol is pisco?
Pisco is a grape brandy distilled from fermented grape juice, made primarily in Peru and Chile. Peruvian pisco skips barrel aging, so it keeps a clean, aromatic grape character rather than the vanilla and oak notes found in aged spirits like whiskey or rum.
Are Pisco Sours strong?
Moderately. This one is about 15.1% ABV, well below a straight pour of pisco, because the citrus, syrup, and egg white dilute it. It drinks smooth rather than boozy, but you still taste the pisco under the foam.
Is pisco as strong as vodka?
About the same. Bottled pisco is typically around 38-48% ABV, close to or a little above standard 40% vodka.
What are some tips for making a perfect Pisco Sour?
Dry shake everything without ice first to whip the egg white into a stable foam, then shake again with ice and fine-strain into a chilled glass. Keep the orange blossom water to 2 ml; any more and the drink tastes perfumed. Finish with a few drops of aromatic bitters on the foam.
What is the difference between a Whiskey Sour and a Pisco Sour?
The spirit. A Whiskey Sour uses whiskey, with its oak and grain notes; a Pisco Sour uses pisco, an unaged grape brandy that tastes lighter and more floral. Both are shaken sours with citrus and often egg white. This Pisco Sour also adds a touch of orange blossom water and finishes with aromatic bitters on the foam, not a cherry or citrus garnish.
