Pisco Sour recipe
Peru and Chile's bitter cocktail rivalry in a glass — frothy, tart, and dangerously drinkable.
Method: Shake ·
Glass: Coupe or rocks glass ·
Time: 3 min ·
Difficulty: Intermediate ·
Family: The Daiquiri Family
Ingredients
- 2 oz Pisco (Peruvian quebranta grape — Barsol or Macchu Pisco)
- 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 0.75 oz Simple Syrup
- 1 Egg White
- 3 dashes Angostura Bitters (on top of the foam)
How to make a Pisco Sour
- Add pisco, lime juice, simple syrup, and egg white to a shaker.
- Dry shake (no ice) vigorously for 15 seconds to emulsify the egg white.
- Add ice and shake hard for another 15 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled glass.
- Drop three dots of Angostura on the foam and drag a toothpick through them.
Garnish
Three drops of Angostura bitters on the foam — drag a toothpick through for a design.
Pro tip
The dry shake is not optional — skip it and you'll get a thin, watery foam instead of that thick meringue-like cap. Also, pisco is unaged, so quality varies wildly. Spend a little more on a good bottle. Cheap pisco tastes like rubbing alcohol.
History of the Pisco Sour
The modern Pisco Sour was created by American bartender Victor Vaughen Morris at his Morris Bar in Lima, Peru around 1920. His Peruvian bartender Mario Bruiget later added the egg white and bitters. Both Peru and Chile claim pisco as their national spirit — don't bring this up at a bar in either country.
Flavour profile
Citrus, Frothy, Grape, Aromatic
Variations
- Chilcano — Pisco with ginger ale and lime — simpler and refreshing
- Maracuya Sour — Add passion fruit puree for tropical sweetness
- Whiskey Sour — Same template but with bourbon instead of pisco
Practise making the Pisco Sour in the free Virtual Bar game.