During my trip to Peru, I was subject to some strange effects: with the altitude, I had less appetite, and – believe it or not – my love for wine decreased in a maddening way! Fortunately, it was fully replaced by the Pisco Sour. It’s a refreshing and delicious cocktail, a mix of sourness, bitterness, and silkiness all in one: the perfect remedy for the Peruvian experience.
The Peruvians and the Chileans dispute its origin. They both claim pisco sour to be their national drink and they both use pisco as the main liquor. The former uses the Peruvian pisco and the latter the Chilean one, as they are both pisco producers.
The Peruvian pisco sour is made of lime juice, simple syrup, pisco, egg white, and bitter. The Chilean version excludes the egg white and the bitter.
The term sour is in reference to mixed drinks containing liquor, lemon or lime juice, and a sweetener. The pisco is made of grape juice distilled into high proof spirits.
Coming back home, I happily recovered, but I was missing my cocktail. I was missing this moment where after a fantastic day of discovery and marvel we could relax and sip our cocktail.
I tried several recipes and the difference between them is slim. There is a slight nuance in the dosage of ingredients. As I learned about pisco sour during my trip to Peru, here is the Peruvian version.
Ingredients:
1 egg white
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz simple syrup
3 oz pisco
2 drops aromatic bitters (Angostura bitters) to garnish
1- Separate the egg yolk and pour the egg white into a shaker.
2- Add the lime juice.
3- Pour the simple syrup – you can make your own simple syrup. Stir one dose of water with one dose of sugar and bring to a boil. Continue stirring until the sugar dissolves. One cup of each makes a cup and 1/3 of simple syrup.
4- Add the Pisco and dry shake for 20 seconds.
5- Add ice and shake for 20 seconds.
6- Poor in a chilled glass – Fill a glass with ice cubes and let it rest for a few minutes to chill the glass. Throw the ice away before serving.
7- Garnish with 2 drops of Angostura bitters. Make small little circles with the tip of a knife to spread the bitters.
The egg white forms a layer of foam on the top of the glass that brings silkiness and comfort in the mouth. It’s such a refreshing and delicious cocktail, I can drink it like juice – be careful, it is treacherous!
Sit down, relax, and enjoy the moment!
[…] I’ve tried most of them and I love them all. Another recommendation is to start dinner with a Pisco Sour, my favorite traditional Peruvian cocktail; it’s served with roasted Cancha – Andean corn […]