Pisco Sour
The Pisco Sour is a delicious cocktail and a wonderful introduction to the South American spirit. For those who have never heard of pisco, it is a grape distilled spirit (making it part of the brandy family) produced in Peru and Chile. Since the Pisco Sour was crafted with ingredients native to South America, I recommend using a combination of both lime and lemon juice for the citrus component. Like other traditional Sour cocktails (such as the Whiskey Sour), the inclusion of egg white or aquafaba gives it a distinct dense, velvety layer on top; in either case you will need to take the extra step of shaking the contents without any ice (a.k.a. a “dry shake”) to allow the ingredients to mix and emulsify. Although it is traditionally shaken and served “up” in a chilled cocktail coupe, you can always opt to put it down “on the rocks” — either way you will have a delicious cocktail to sip and enjoy. No matter your preference your cocktail will benefit from shaking the cocktail with a large clear ice cube to properly aerate the foam. When it comes to garnishing your Pisco Sour, it is common to place three drops of Angostura bitters directly on top of the foam. However, I recommend the additional aromatic of fresh grated cinnamon for a more intriguing flavor. But don’t take my word for it, make one and try it yourself!
Pisco Sour
In your shaker, combine the simple syrup, lemon juice, lime juice, and pisco.
0.75 oz of Simple Syrup
0.5 oz of Lemon Juice
0.5 oz of Lime Juice
2 oz of Pisco
0.5 oz of Egg White (or Aquafaba)
Add the egg white and perform a dry-shake (without ice) to emulsify and incorporate it into the cocktail. Next, carefully uncap your shaker, add ice and shake until it develops a frost. Double-strain the contents (by pouring them from the shaker through a fine mesh strainer) into your chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a few drops of Angostura bitters and freshly grated cinnamon.
TIP(S):
Chill your cocktail glassware — to extend the life of your Pisco Sour, place your coupe cocktail glass(es) in the freezer for at least 15 minutes for them to be sufficiently. For more immediate use, you can place ice water in your coupe cocktail glass during the preparation.
Making it on-the-rocks — be sure to shorten the duration of shaking. You will still want to adequately chill the cocktail and not over-dilute.
