Pisco Sour

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Cocktail History

The Pisco Sour is a classic cocktail that is most often credited to Vaughen Morris, an American bartender who moved to Lima, Peru in the early 1900s to work at a railway company but ended up opening his own bar. It is said that he created the recipe as an alternative to the Whiskey Sour by using Pisco, a Peruvian brandy distilled from wine distilled from muscat grapes planted by Spanish colonists, as its base and pairing it with simple syrup, citrus, and egg.

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Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Pisco: This is a type of brandy made in Peru or Chile with fermented grape juice. I used Capel Pisco Premium Liqueur.

Simple Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white sugar and water. I used this stovetop recipe.

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. I used freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Egg White: This is the clear liquid in an egg. I used fresh egg whites.

Orange Bitters: This is a food product made with oranges, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. I used Angostura Orange Bitters.

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Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

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Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Pale yellow color with a frothy white top

• Aroma: Fermented grape and citrus

• Taste: Distinct pisco flavor balanced by sour lemon

• Finish: Sweet citrus aftertaste and frothy mouthfeel

Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Kendall’s Take: "I'm always excited when I come across a new spirit to try, and I'd been intrigued by pisco for a while. When I finally picked up a bottle, I had to try it in the Pisco Sour since it's the quintessential pisco-based recipe. I found it to be frothy and flavorful—almost like lime, which is odd since there's none in the recipe."

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Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.