Pisco Sour
The Pisco Sour is a cocktail which consists of Pisco Brandy, Fresh Lime Juice, Sugar, Eggwhite, and Angostura Bitters.
The Pisco Sour is the national cocktail of both Peru and Chile. Both countries produce Pisco Brandy, and both contend that Pisco Brandy was originally created in their respective countries.
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Pisco Sour History
The Pisco Sour was created by "Gringo Morris": Victor V. Morris (c. 1921) in Lima, Peru.
Historical References
"Mundial" magazine - Nº 52 - by Jose Julian Perez, April 22, 1921
"Speaking about the kitsch and the creole"
(Translated from Spanish)
"Caressing a glass, which white-ish contents was managed to concoct one of the best disciples of Mr. Morris, the popular owner of the bar located in Boza street, you could find Perez taking good care of a group of his friends, at the climax of the cocktail hour of any given day."
"Perez, after drinking several Pisco Sours, one after another, finally claims victorious: - The kitsch! The creole! This is the healthy joy and the real fun, Let's prove it"
Time Magazine, 15th September 1947
"Argentines and Americans, as well as Chileans, took the sun on Portillo's terraces, drank pisco sours†"
"† Made of lime, sugar and pisco (a white grape brandy); sometimes a bit of beaten egg white goes on top."
Time Magazine, 25th April 1949
"...the bartender poured a slug of water-clear liquor into a silver shaker, added lime juice, sugar, beaten white of egg, and ice, shook hard, then poured the mixture into a small glass. When Angostura had been sprinkled on the top, another pisco sour was ready..."
Pisco Sour recipes with Fresh Lime Juice
Recipe #1
- 50ml Pisco Brandy
- 25ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 15ml Sugar Syrup
- Eggwhite
- 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters (as the Garnish)
Shake hard with ice, and then strain into an Ice-filled rocks glass. Dash the Angostura Bitters into the Centre of the drink.
Recipe #2
- 60ml Pisco Brandy
- 15ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 15ml Sugar Syrup
- 20ml Eggwhite
- 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
Shake hard with ice, and then strain into an ice-filled Rocks Glass. Garnish with a Sprinkle of Cinnamon Powder.
Pisco Sour Quotes
"Pisco Sours in Peru and even Chile almost always use Lime juice because yellow lemons are rare and VERY expensive down there...They also have a wonderful local bitters called Amargo by La Barra that is very cinnamon heavy in the top flavor note and particularly good on top of pisco sours..." - Dale DeGroff, Kingcocktail. Quote from here
"The only complaint I had while I was in Peru was that they didn't really make Pisco Sours to my liking. How strange, huh? I like about 17 dashes of bitters on top of my Pisco Sours, but the Peruvians seem to be very content with just one drop. Each to his own, I guess. The very best Pisco Sours I sampled in Peru, though, were made by super bartender Jorge la Torre Muñoz. He uses a 3/1/1 ratio of Pisco, simple syrup, and lime juice (with a little egg white thrown in for good measure), and he says that he makes a 1/1 simple syrup, though after the sugar is dissolved he does allow it to boil for a few minutes, so it gets just a tad concentrated." - Gary Regan
