Pisco Sour — Peru and Chile have spent centuries fighting over this

Peru and Chile have spent centuries fighting over this drink — and both claims are legitimate. The Pisco Sour exists because two countries make the same brandy, argue endlessly about who does it better, and each perfected their own version of this cocktail.

Ingredients

• 2 oz pisco
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• few dash Angostura bitters to finish on top
• 1 egg white
• Garnish: one egg white
• Garnish: a few dashes of Angostura bitters

Method

Here’s where technique matters. Crack your egg white into the shaker first, then add the pisco, lime juice, and simple syrup. Now you’re going to dry shake — that means shake hard without ice for about ten seconds. This emulsifies the egg white and starts building that foam. Add ice and shake again, this time for fifteen seconds. You want it violent and energetic. The double shake is what creates that thick, lasting foam cap that makes a Pisco Sour unmistakable. Double strain into your coupe — you want to catch any ice chips or egg bits. The foam should sit on top like a layer of meringue.

Serve

Serve this up in a coupe with no ice. Drop three to five drops of Angostura bitters right on top of the foam, then drag a toothpick through them to create that classic dotted pattern.

Pro Tip

If you don’t have pisco, don’t substitute. This drink is about the grape brandy’s floral, fruity character that you can’t replicate with other spirits. Good pisco has this clean, bright quality that’s somewhere between vodka and cognac. The egg white might seem intimidating, but it’s completely safe in a properly made cocktail — the acid from the lime juice effectively cooks it.