Pisco Sour: An Elegant Latin American Libation P erhaps you’ve had a whiskey sour, but if you have, it’s not the same thing as the Pisco...
Pisco Sour: An Elegant Latin American Libation
Perhaps you’ve had a whiskey sour, but if you have, it’s not the same thing as the Pisco Sour. The Pisco Sour is largely regarded as a Peruvian cocktail, however the people of Chile have a long-standing bone to pick with them on that. Regardless of the dispute, this lovely libation is rather upscale. Not the sort of thing you’d be making at a frat house in college.
If you’ve never heard of a Pisco Sour, then you’ve likely never heard of Pisco either. It’s essentially a yellow or amber-colored brandy. This charming spirit is the heart and soul of the Pisco Sour, which is made with lime, egg whites, bitters, and simple syrup, more or less. It’s a frothy and sultry cocktail with a refined flavor.
The Pisco Sour is said to date back to the 1700s, but experts unanimously agree that the version we know it as today was created in Lima, Peru in the early 1920s. As the story goes, an American bartender named Victor Vaughen Morris opened a bar in Lima in 1916. It was a hot spot for upper class Peruvians and other foreigners. By 1920, this quintessential cocktail was finessed by Mario Bruiget, a Peruvian bartender at the bar.
But the good people of Chile will argue that Elliot Stubb was the one to create it in 1872 in Iquique, a port city that once belonged to Peru. And thus began the arguments between the two countries about the origins of the Pisco Sour. While they both claim the drink is their own national cocktail, there are slight variations in the preparations of it between the two countries. Perhaps we can all agree to disagree and enjoy a good cocktail for the flavorful concoction that it is.
The next time you’re out for cocktails, you can order one and see how you like it. Pisco has a tendency to really open up your sinuses when you get a whiff of it, but despite this, it goes down incredibly smooth, especially in the Pisco Sour. It lends a grape flavor and the egg white adds depth and creaminess. It feels rather rich and isn’t the kind of drink you chug.
Want to make it yourself? You’ll need to add about 2 ounces of key lime juice into a blender with 1 egg white and combine. Then you’ll add 1 1/2 ounces of simple syrup, 3 ounces of Pisco and about a 1/4 cup of ice. Blend it until it’s frothy and pour into a sour glass. The final touch of 2 or 3 drops of Angostura bitters is added once in the glass, just before serving.
Have you tried a Pisco Sour before? If not, you might be tempted to try one out right now!
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