Pisco Sour Cocktail Recipe

A classic sour from South America that is so popular in its home country that it has its own holiday.

Just like all great cocktails, the Pisco Sour has a storied and sometimes disputed history. The widely accepted origin story states the drink was created by an American, Victor Morris, who had relocated to Lima in the early 20th century. As legend has it, Morris ran out of whiskey while making Whiskey Sour for patrons one day and switched to Pisco, a Peruvian brandy.  The drink became so popular in its native country that in 2003, the government in Peru created a national holiday called National Pisco Sour Day to be celebrated on the first Saturday of February. 

Some residents in Chile dispute the Peruvian roots of the Pisco Sour. A local story developed in the 1980s that the drink was actually created by Elliott Stubb, an English steward that had opened a bar in the northern part of the country in 1872. It was later discovered that the story used a quote from Stubb that actually referenced the Whiskey Sour.

The Pisco Sour follows the traditional recipe for a sour cocktail consisting of a spirit (Pisco), citrus (lime juice), and a sweetener (simple syrup). This drink also includes an egg white, just like a Whiskey Sour, for added texture and to give it its frothy white top. Completing the presentation are the drops of Angostura cocktail bitters on top, which add orange dots to not only the top of the cocktail but also a hint of aromatic flavor.

Pisco Sour Cocktail Recipe

Yield: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 2 oz Pisco
• 3/4 oz Lime Juice
• 1/2 oz Gum Syrup
• 1 Egg White
• Angostura Aromatic Bitters for garnish

Glassware

• Coupe Glass

Tools

• Cocktail Shaker
• Cocktail Strainer
• Jigger

Instructions

Add all ingredients except bitters to a cocktail shaker and dry shake for about 15 seconds. Add ice and shake again until chilled. Fine strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a few drops of Angostura bitters.