Frothy, sweet-sour, floral, spice
A compelling cocktail for a steamy evening. Serve with empanadas or grilled hanger steak topped with chimichurri sauce.
Both Chile and Peru call Pisco their national booze; Peru even has a holiday based around it. Books written on the subject of Pisco point to different bartenders who may have created this cocktail, most likely in the 1920s at an esteemed hotel bar, though an earlier recipe appears in a Peruvian cookbook as early as 1903. Beloved as a hangover cure—thanks to the egg white and the vitamin C boost from the citrus juice—the Pisco Sour can also be made with lemon, rather than lime.
2 ounces (60 ml) Pisco
1 ounce (30 ml) fresh lime juice
½ ounce (15 ml) simple syrup (page 241)
¾ ounce (22 ml) egg white
3 drops orange flower water
3 drops Angostura bitters
Dry shake ingredients to emulsify. Then shake again with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Float a few drops of Angostura bitters on top of the drink.