Southern Border
Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 16.9% ABV ∙
A pisco sour variation, the Southern Border adds blue curaçao and a bitters-dotted foam to the classic pisco, lime, sugar, and egg white shake. The double shake builds a dense, velvety foam that cushions a tart, citrusy core, finishing clean with faint aromatic bitterness from the pulled-through drops on top.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Dry shake all ingredients to emulsify: Pisco 50 mlBlue Curaçao 15 mlLime juice 20 mlSugar syrup 10 mlEgg white 20 ml
- Shake again with ice
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with Creole-style bitters drops on the foam, pulled through with a cocktail stick
Tips
- Dry shake first with no ice — this emulsifies the egg white into a stable foam before the chill sets in.
- Shake hard a second time with ice to properly chill and dilute, then fine-strain to keep the foam smooth.
History
The Southern Border was created by New York City bartender Pamela Wiznitzer at the Dead Rabbit, dated to 2014. It was conceived as an American riff on the Pisco Sour, keeping that classic's pisco, lime, and egg-white base but adding blue Curaçao to turn the drink a bright cerulean blue, with a dash of Peychaud's bitters on the foam evoking a red, white, and blue effect. The Pisco Sour itself, the drink this cocktail nods to, is generally credited to American bartender Victor Morris in Lima, Peru in the early 20th century.
FAQ
What is in a Southern Border cocktail?
Pisco, blue curaçao, fresh lime juice, sugar syrup, and egg white, double-shaken and fine-strained into a chilled coupe. It is finished with drops of Creole-style bitters pulled through the foam with a cocktail stick for a marbled top.
How strong is a Southern Border?
It comes in at about 16.9% ABV, a moderate strength softened by the egg white foam and citrus rather than a spirit-forward pour.
