Sours
Pisco Sour
Made with classic simple syrup · Victor Vaughen Morris, Morris' Bar, Lima, 1920
- coupe
- none (served up)
- dry shake
Pisco Sour
- 2 oz60 ml pisco (Peruvian quebranta or acholado)
- ¾ oz22 ml fresh lime juice
- ¾ oz22 ml simple syrup (1:1)
- 11 egg white
- 3 dashes3 dashes Angostura bitters, as drops on the foam
- Shake the pisco, lime juice, syrup and egg white without ice to build foam.
- Add ice and shake hard again until cold.
- Strain into a chilled coupe and let the foam settle.
- Dot a few drops of Angostura bitters on top of the foam.
Garnish: 3 drops of Angostura bitters on the foam
The syrup
In this recipe
Classic Simple Syrup¾ oz22 ml
Simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water, heated just until the sugar dissolves.
As printed: Jarabe de goma (Peru: 1 oz per 3 oz pisco); Cocktail Kingdom: 3/4 oz simple syrup
Or use
Gum Syrup (Gomme Syrup)½ oz15 ml
Gum syrup (gomme) is rich sugar syrup thickened with gum arabic, which gives cocktails a silky texture.
The traditional sweetener is named for gum arabic. Ours is 2:1, so use 1/2 oz in place of 3/4 oz of 1:1.
As printed: Jarabe de goma ('gum syrup'); VinePair: 3/4 oz gum arabic syrup, or simple syrup
Or use
Rich Simple Syrup (2:1)½ oz15 ml
Rich simple syrup is two parts sugar to one part water by weight: 400 g sugar dissolved in 200 ml hot water.
3/4 oz 1:1 ≈ 1/2 oz 2:1.
As printed: 3/4 oz simple syrup (1:1)
Or use
Cold-Process Simple Syrup (No Heat)¾ oz22 ml
Yes, you can make simple syrup without heat: shake equal weights of sugar and room-temperature water in a sealed jar, rest, and shake again until no crystals remain, about 15 minutes.
As printed: 3/4 oz simple syrup (1:1)
Where it comes from
Victor Morris, an American bartender, was serving pisco sours at his Morris' Bar in Lima by 1920. In the later 1920s his bartender Mario Bruiget added egg white and Angostura bitters, which gave the Peruvian recipe its modern form. Peru celebrates Pisco Sour Day on the first Saturday of February.
Source: Peruvian classic recipe (Morris' Bar tradition) by Victor Morris; Mario Bruiget.
Checked against: Cocktail Kingdom Library – Pisco Sour · Univision Delicioso – Historia del pisco sour (classic Peruvian recipe) · Canal N – Día del Pisco Sour: receta · VinePair – Pisco Sour · Punch – Pisco Sour · Wikipedia – Pisco sour (history only)
Gear for this drink
Mixology & Craft 16-Piece Cocktail Shaker Set
OXO SteeL Angled Measuring Jigger
Best for Measuring syrup into drinks
Cuisinart Fine Mesh Stainless Strainers (set of 3)
Best for Every infused or fruit syrup
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