Pisco Sour Recipe

Before you start

The pisco sour is a sour made with pisco, the grape brandy of Peru and Chile, along with lime, sugar and egg white. Both countries claim it, and the details differ. This page follows the Peruvian style: Peruvian pisco, lime juice, sugar, egg white, and a few drops of aromatic bitters on a thick white foam.

Pisco is unaged and fragrant, often floral and fruity, so the drink tastes lighter and more aromatic than a whiskey sour. The foam is essential to its look and texture. A hard dry shake builds it, and a cold shake finishes the drink. Use pasteurized egg white because it is served raw.

Ingredients

• 60 ml (2 oz) Peruvian pisco — quebranta or acholado styles are common
• 30 ml (1 oz) fresh lime juice
• 22 ml (¾ oz) simple syrup (1:1)
• 1 (about 30 ml) egg white — from a pasteurized egg, or pasteurized liquid egg white
• 3 drops Angostura bitters
• 1 cup (about 150 g) ice cubes — for shaking

Method

1. Chill the glass in the freezer for 10 minutes.
2. Add the pisco, lime juice, simple syrup and egg white to the shaker.
3. Seal the shaker without ice and dry-shake vigorously for 15 to 20 seconds. You will feel the liquid thicken as the egg froths.
4. Add ice, seal again, and shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds until the tin is icy.
5. Double-strain into the chilled glass and let the foam settle into a thick, white layer for about 30 seconds.
6. Place 3 drops of bitters on the foam. Drag a cocktail pick through them for a simple pattern, if you like.

Tips for success

• In Peru, small, aromatic limes are used; ordinary limes work, but taste and adjust the syrup.
• Do not skip double-straining; it removes ice chips and bits of egg and makes the foam silkier.
• The bitters are mostly for aroma. Smell the foam before sipping.

Substitutions

Egg white

Aquafaba (22 to 30 ml) makes a good vegan foam. The flavor is slightly different, and the foam is a little looser.

Peruvian pisco

Chilean pisco works and is often made in a lighter style. An unaged grape brandy is the closest stand-in.

Simple syrup

Use 15 ml rich 2:1 syrup, or 2 tsp superfine sugar dissolved in the lime juice.

Variations

Chilean-style pisco sour

Use Chilean pisco and lemon or lime juice, and serve without egg white or bitters.

Passion fruit pisco sour

Replace 15 ml of the lime juice with passion fruit pulp and strain well.

Troubleshooting

No foam forms on top

The dry shake was too gentle or short. Shake hard for at least 15 seconds without ice.

The foam is bubbly and coarse

Double-strain through a fine strainer and let the drink rest briefly before adding bitters.

It is too sour

Add 5 ml syrup, or reduce the lime to 22 ml.

Storage

Serve immediately. Store pasteurized egg products refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or below. Do not leave a drink containing egg at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Safety notes

Contains 60 ml of pisco, about 1.4 U.S. standard drinks (one standard drink is about 14 g of pure alcohol). For adults of legal drinking age only; never drink and drive. Because the egg white is served raw, FDA advises using pasteurized shell eggs or pasteurized egg products.