aka, Peru’s Signature Drink
If you stop by your favorite craft cocktail establishment you may find a Pisco Sour on the menu. But wait, what is pisco anyway? The short answer is that it is a type of brandy (a fortified wine) made primarily in South America. Peruvians and Chileans have lively debates about who’s pisco is better but generally speaking, Chile is better known for its wines and Peru for its pisco.
In fact, if you head to just about any restaurant in Lima, you’ll find Pilsen Beer and Pisco Sours on the drink list. This Pisco Sour recipe comes, as told to us from a bartender at Antigua Taberna Queirolo in the Pueblo Libre District in Lima.
Why have one? Well, why not? When we’re getting ready for a trip, we like to spend some time locally trying cuisine (if we can) from the country we’re traveling to. We’ve struck up conversations with restaurant owners about where to go or what to look for when we arrive. On the flip side, having a Pisco Sour months after our trip, allows us to remember the fun and relive a little bit of the trip from the vantage point of our home city in Rochester.
But enough of the why here’s a little bit on the how. Being a sour, it has a little bite to it and Peruvians have a reputation of making them a little heavy on the booze, so if you prefer a little lighter or a little sweeter version when making them at home, dial back on the pisco and increase the simple syrup to get a flavor profile you like.
Just like any other liquor, there are value-priced options and more expensive varieties. We like Caravedo Pisco Puro since it’s readily available at our local liquor store and it doesn’t break the bank. Other brands you might look for include Macchu Pisco and 1615.
Pisco Sour Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces pisco
- 1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 3/4 ounce simple syrup
- 1 fresh egg white
- 1 dash of bitters (Angostura or Amargo work well)
Directions:
Combine pisco, lime, simple syrup, and egg white in a cocktail shaker without ice and seal. Shake vigorously until egg white is foamy, about 10 seconds. Add ice to shaker and shake again very hard until well-chilled, about 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass; dash bitters atop the egg-white foam.
For simple syrup: In a jar, combine 1 cup water with 1 cup superfine sugar. Seal the jar and shake until sugar is completely dissolved. Keep remainder refrigerated.
Leave a Reply