A Refreshing Pisco Sour from South America

YES! Could summer finally be on its way? That calls for a drink! How about one with some South American temperament? A pisco sour: a wonderfully refreshing cocktail with egg white, lime juice and a spirit made from grapes.

Both Peru and Chile claim that the drink was invented by them; we will never know its origins for sure. What we do know for certain is that this drink is perfect for warm evenings on your balcony.

Lemonade 2.0

Because of the crushed ice and the lime juice with cane sugar, this drink looks dangerously much like lemonade. Were it not for the fact that it also contains various bitters and a spirit. Refreshing with a kick, then.

Chile or Peru?

Pisco (that spirit made from grapes) is made in Peru from the quebranta or Italia grape, while Chilean pisco is made from the muscat grape. In Chile, it is not at all uncommon for water to be added to the wine… er, pisco. This makes the drink cheaper, but also lower in quality.

For now, both countries claim to be the inventors of this grape-based spirit. Although both the city and province of Pisco are located in Peru, Chile also has a village called Pisco. Detail: that village was originally called Las Gredas, so we wonder where that sudden change came from.

Make it yourself

Make sure you have at least one egg white, a bottle of Pisco, sugar syrup and lime juice. If you shake these together very vigorously in a shaker with Angostura bitters, you’ll get a lovely summery cocktail. Check out the Epicurious website for the full pisco sour recipe.