Pisco Sour
A creamy, tart Peruvian classic with a silky egg-white foam and fragrant drops of bitters on top.
Ingredients
- Pisco, Peruvian, ideally Quebranta, Italia or Acholado60 ml
- Lime juice, freshly squeezed30 ml
- Rich simple syrup, 2:1 sugar syrup for extra body (2 parts Sugar, 1 part Water)20 ml
- Egg white15 ml
- Orange flower water, a few drops for a floral touch, optional (optional)2 drops
- Aromatic bitters (Angostura), to garnish, on top of the foam (optional)e.g. Angostura4 drops
Method
- Squeeze the limes fresh and gently, so no bitterness from the peel ends up in the juice.
- Pour the pisco, lime juice, syrup and egg white into a shaker.
- Dry shake without ice for 10–15 seconds to emulsify the egg white and build a stable foam.
- Add ice and shake hard again for 10–15 seconds, until ice cold and airy.
- Double strain into a cold coupe and let it rest a few seconds so the foam settles on top.
- Drip the bitters onto the foam and, if you like, drag a cocktail stick through them to make a pattern.
About this drink
The Pisco Sour was born in Lima in the early 20th century, most likely at Morris' Bar, where the American bartender Victor Vaughen Morris experimented with the local grape brandy, pisco. It quickly became Peru's pride, and the country celebrates National Pisco Sour Day on the first Saturday of February. Peru and Chile both claim the drink, but it is the Peruvian version with egg white and bitters that became famous worldwide.
