Pisco Sour
Continuing the theme of brandies after Monday’s look at Calvados, tonight I’ve been sampling Pisco, the national spirit of both Chile and Peru. Pisco is made by fermenting grapes in to wine, and then distilling this wine in to a clear brandy. It has a sharp, fiery taste with an underlying fruitiness and a hint of sweetness.
It is generally agreed that Pisco began when wine that had been produced for export but deemed inferior quality were gifted to local farmers, who then took the wine and distilled it. However, that is about all that is agreed on – the origins of Pisco are very much in dispute, with both Chile and Peru claiming it as their own.
The earliest known reference to Pisco is from the Spanish colonies of Peru, in 1613, and most of the evidence I’ve read seems to point towards Peru as the originator. However, this is muddied when you consider that the Spanish controlled Vice-Royalty of Peru at one point extended from southern Chile to the Caribbean – the Peru of today is not the same as that of 1613. Who knows, perhaps both countries started making it at a similar time and over the years the name was just applied to both. Truthfully, we will probably never know the real history of Pisco.
The way Pisco got its name is also in question. Some believe it comes from the town of Pisco, which in turn was named after the local bird which is called a Pisqu in the Quechua language. Others, meanwhile, assert it comes from the pot Pisco was stored in, called a Pisko, after the local inhabitants who were called Piskos.
To try out Pisco I could find no better cocktail than the famous Pisco Sour. You’ll be unsurprised by now to learn that Chile and Peru even argue over where this cocktail came from, each claiming it originated from a local port. Whichever country it was, it seems likely it was invented during the 1920s for the steam-boat passengers who were travelling past South America on the way to San Francisco.
Pisco Sour
- 2 shots Pisco
- 1 shot lemon juice*
- ½ shot sugar syrup
- 1 egg white
- Shake all ingredients hard with ice for long enough to ensure the egg white is well mixed. Strain in to a cocktail glass and add a few dashes of Angostura Aromatic bitters to the frothy top of the drink.
- * You can also use limes for an equally pleasing drink – try both and see which you prefer.
The Pisco Sour has a relatively clean, simple taste. The lemon and sugar work remarkably well to tame the Pisco, allowing its flavours through but pulling back the fiery kick, producing a very drinkable cocktail. Thanks to the egg the drink has a lovely silky quality which I’m sure helps smooth out the roughness of the Pisco too.
A lot of people are wary of using raw eggs in cocktails. To be honest I was too at first, but the risk of salmonella is absolutely tiny – read Darcy’s excellent post on using raw eggs if you’re not convinced. The egg provides an amazing foamy head to the drink, which allows you to dash the bitters on the top. As well as looking good, this allows the wonderful aroma of Angostura to be the first taste that greats you as you bring the glass to your mouth.
I’ve only mixed up a few Pisco Sours so far, but I’ve yet to produce the large white head I’ve seen in some photos of the Pisco Sour. I’ve tried shaking the egg before adding the other ingredients, I’ve tried shaking it for ages and ages, but I still only get a small amount of froth. Any tips for getting the perfect Pisco Sour?
Posted in Aromatic Bitters, Lemon, Pisco, Recipes
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November 22nd, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Wow!
It is a coincidence, but on this tuesday I ordered bottle of Pisco! And you information is very usefull for me.
I make up one’s mind to prepare Pisco Punch, which has so similar ingredients – pisco, lime juice, sugar syrup, eggs white and angostura. Results you may see on my blog on next tuesday (I hope!).
November 23rd, 2007 at 3:46 pm
For a good Pisco Sour, consider using the liquid egg whites available at most grocery stores and shake with regular ice cubes (versus crushed ice) for at least ten seconds. The liquid eggs keep for a long time and are very convenient. Cheers!
November 25th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
I use a recipe based on Toby Maloney’s (The Violet Hour, Chicago), and I think it’s one of the tastiest drinks I’ve made. The orange flower water is what makes the difference. By the way, the drops indicated in the recipe below are from eyedroppers. This allows you to be more precise with measurement.
Note: More than two or three very tiny drops of the orange flower water will ruin the drink.
Ingredients:
2 oz. Pisco
1 oz. Simply Syrup (50:50)
1 oz. Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
5 drops Fee Brothers Orange Bitters
2 drops Orange Flower Water
1 Egg White
Method:
1. Add first five ingredients to shaker.
2. Shake vigorously without ice to froth.
3. Add ice and shake very hard for 30 seconds.
4. Strain into cocktail glass.
5. Add a few drops of Angostura to the froth.
6. Make design with toothpick and serve.
November 26th, 2007 at 9:06 am
Pisco sounds a lot like “aguardiente”, the all-pervasive fire water that’s drunk throughout the Mediterranean part of Europe (the Italians and Greeks have their own names for it, but it’s basically the same stuff)—even cachaça is very similar. Do you think either of these would make an acceptable substitute for Pisco? Try it and let us know!
You should try whisking the egg whites for a few minutes before adding them to the drink; this should give the drink a very rich topping (make sure that there’s NO yellow in the white, though—the yellow prevents the whites from foaming properly).
November 27th, 2007 at 4:43 am
I am from Chile and 90% of the people that drink Pisco Sour in my country don’t put egg white on it, because smell like eggs and also it make the drink to soft.
Another drink that you can make with Pisco is” Piscola” that 1oz of Pisco plus Coke and ice.
Pichuncho = Pisco and Vermouth and ice.
Enjoy it.
November 29th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Scomorokh – I was going to try the Pisco Punch as well for this post, but sadly ran out of time. I look forward to reading what you think of it.
Jeff – I will have to try that. I’m not a huge fan of eggs, so it would be much easier than keeping fresh eggs in the house.
Mark – I imagine the orange complements the other flavours very well in that recipe. I’ve never used orange flower water before, but I’ve seen it pop up in several recipes, so I think another order from The Bitter Truth is called for!
nd – I have never tried aguardiente but I imagine any decent grape brandy would make a reasonable drink using the Pisco Sour recipe. It’s a classic sour, so really you can use any base spirit you like – just adjust the ratios to taste. Thanks for the egg white tips – I was careful to keep the yellow away, but will try whisking the white next time.
Marienza – from what I’ve read, I understand that using egg whites is more common in Peruvian Pisco Sours. Pichuncho sounds nice – what ratio of Pisco to vermouth do you use?
January 8th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
To Marienza
I went to Chile last year and was amazed at how much of the premixed bottles of Pisco I drank. It was very cheap as all the supwermarkets had great deals on them. We went to Santaigo and there is a big supermarket in the shopping mall we bought 12 bottles and looked like alcos!!
The sad thing is that no-one in the UK stocks it enjoy your Pisco Sour in Chile
July 12th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
I visited Peru last year with my peruvian friend, we tried Pisco Sour
oh goshhh!!! I love it !!