PISCO SOUR

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Jirón de la Unión, in Lima’s Historical Center, was the axis of power of the young republic.

Its bars and cafés were meeting places for aristocrats and intellectuals. There was the Morris Bar, owned by American Victor Morris, who, inspired by the recipe for whisky sour (a mixture of bourbon whisky with lime juice and sugar), prepared the first Pisco sour in the 1920s. Over the years, the recipe was perfected by his pupils, who later took it to the bars of the Hotel Maury and the Hotel Bolívar, where this drink was enjoyed by celebrities such as John Wayne, Orson Welles, Walt Disney, Clark Gable and the beautiful Ava Gardner. Since then, the pisco sour has been Peru’s flagship cocktail.

Ingredients:

2 oz pure Pisco Quebranta

1 oz lime juice

1 oz sugar syrup

1 egg white

4 ice cubes

3 drops Angostura bitters

Preparation:

Pour the Pisco, lime juice, sugar syrup and egg white into a shaker with the ice cubes. Shake the mixture for 8 to 10 seconds. Serve in a previously chilled glass and garnish with Angostura bitters.

CHILCANO

On the north coast of Peru there is a soup prepared with fish heads and abundantly seasoned with lime. This concentrate is characterized by its restorative benefits for night owls who have had a rough night. This soup, called Chilcano, inspired the name of the cocktail that Italian immigrants prepared in honor of the buon giorno, a mixture of ginger ale, which they drank as a tonic, but which, in the absence of grappa, was combined with Pisco.

Because it is easy to prepare, this cocktail grew in popularity in the bars and taverns of immigrants, such as Queirolo, Cordano, Carbone, Arboccó and Giacoletti, and later became an essential item on the drinks menu of the most exclusive restaurants in the country.

Ingredients:

• 2oz Pisco puro

• ½ oz lime juice

• 3 drops Angostura bitters

• 4 oz ginger ale

• 4 ice cubes

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a high ball glass. Stir with a bar spoon. Garnish with a slice of lime inside the glass.

PISCO POINT

This drink brings out the versatility of Pisco, which is not only capable of dethroning the most famous distilled beverages from the traditional recipes of the past, but could even replace modern cocktail classics like the appletini. It combines Pisco with fresh, aromatic fruits such as apples, without losing balance or character, demonstrating that Pisco has a place at the most contemporary bars.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Pisco puro

• ¼ oz averna (Sicilian bitters)

• 1oz apple liqueur

• 1 star anise

• 4 ice cubes

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a mixing glass. Cool by stirring with the bar spoon for 8-10 seconds. Serve in a chilled glass. Garnish with a lime slice and star anise.

PISCO TROPICAL

This recipe infuses the drink with the warmest flavors of the tropics, combining the purity of the Pisco with Caribbean fruits such as grapefruit, a sweet fruit with a slightly acidic edge, which is mastered by the intensity of Pisco. This recipe, mixed with flavors that came from Polynesia and the East Indies, reveals that Pisco is more than a Peruvian distillate, it is a spirit with a universal character.

Ingredients:

• 4 peppermint leaves

• 1 oz Pisco puro

• 2 oz Aperol (Barbieri)

• 3 oz grapefruit juice

Preparation:

Rub the peppermint leaves in a high ball glass. Add the ingredients and stir with a bar spoon. Serve with stirrer.

PISCO TONIC

Cocktail made with Pisco and tonic, emerges as a sweeter and less dry alternative to a gin and tonic.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Pisco

• Tonic water

• 4 or 5 ice cubes

Preparation:

Place the ice cubes in a long drink glass. Add the Pisco and fill with tonic water. Add a dash of lime. Decorate with citrus peel.

MACHU PICCHU

Inspired by the colors of the flag of Tawantinsuyu (the Incas’ name for their empire), this colorful cocktail is probably Peru’s most visually-appealing drink.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Pisco

• 1 oz mint

• 1 oz grenadine

• 1 oz orange juice

• ice cubes.

Preparation:

Pour the grenadine and two ice cubes in a long drink glass. Add the orange juice using a bar spoon. Shake the mint liqueur and the Pisco. Pour this last mixture delicately on the ice cubes in guide of last stage.

← Grape Varieties and Pairing