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Pisco sour
Pisco sour: grape pisco, limón and syrup shaken with egg white to a thick foam, dotted with aromatic bitters
Lima drinks its pisco sour as the aperitif before a long ceviche lunch, and celebrates it every year on the first Saturday of February; the recipe took shape in the city's bars in the 1920s. It is for adults only and stronger than its pillowy look suggests. Underneath a thick white foam you get sharp Peruvian lime, a clean sweetness and the floral, grapey warmth of quebranta pisco, with the bitters adding a spicy smell to every sip. The texture should be silky, almost creamy, never thin. The classic mistake is squeezing the limes too hard or too early: the oil from the pith turns the drink bitter within half an hour. Halve the limes, press each half gently by hand just before mixing and stop when the juice slows. The egg white is raw, so use pasteurised egg white for anyone pregnant, for babies, older people or anyone unwell, or swap in 30 ml aquafaba. It is ready when the foam stands about 1 cm high and is firm enough to hold the drops of bitters on its surface. Sip one slowly and drink responsibly. Chef's tip: shake once without ice first to whip the egg white, then again with ice; the foam will be twice as thick.
- Total time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 1
Ingredients
For the pisco sour
- ¼ cup piscoquebranta or acholado
- 2 tbsp lime juicePeruvian limón or key limes; ordinary limes work, freshly squeezed
- 1 ½ tbsp simple syrup1:1 sugar and water, cooled
- 1 egg whitepasteurised if serving anyone vulnerable; or 30 ml aquafaba
- 6 ice cubes
- 3 drops aromatic bitters
For the alcohol-free version
- ¼ cup white grape juice (optional)chilled
- 2 tbsp lime juice (optional)
- 1 tbsp simple syrup (optional)
- 1 egg white (optional)pasteurised for anyone vulnerable
- 6 ice cubes (optional)
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put ¼ cup pisco, 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 ½ tbsp simple syrup and 1 egg white in a shaker, close it tightly and shake hard without ice for 10 seconds, until you hear the liquid turn soft and thick.
1 minStep 2: Add 6 ice cubes and shake hard again for 15 seconds, until the tin is frosted and the drink feels heavy and foamy.
1 minStep 3: Strain into a chilled short glass and wait a few seconds for the foam to rise and settle into a firm white layer.
1 minStep 4: Shake 3 drops aromatic bitters in 3 drops onto the foam and serve at once.
1 minStep 5: Alcohol-free version: dry-shake ¼ cup white grape juice, 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp simple syrup and 1 egg white for 10 seconds, then add 6 ice cubes and shake again until frosted.
1 minStep 6: Alcohol-free version: strain into a chilled glass, let the foam settle and dust with 1 pinch ground cinnamon.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 19 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pisco sour take?
- About 5 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 1 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of lime juice?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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