How to make a Pisco Sour
for your table
Add the pisco, lime juice, syrup, and egg white to the shaker and shake for 10 seconds without ice.
Now add the ice and shake vigorously for another 15 seconds.
Double-strain into a chilled coupe or a small tumbler.
Three drops of Angostura on the foam. Want to go the extra mile? Draw a little design in it.
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The story
In 1916, American bartender Victor 'Gringo' Morris opened Morris' Bar in Lima. He served a sour made with local pisco. His Peruvian employee Mario Bruiget added egg white and Angostura, and that version is now the standard. Whether the Pisco Sour comes from Peru or Chile is something even the governments argue about. Both countries consider pisco part of their national heritage. Either way, it’s one of the smoothest, most velvety sours you can make.
The right glass
In Lima, it’s served in a small, sturdy glass. Today, a coupe is the standard, and it shows off that white foam layer best. Choose a coupe with a capacity of 19 to 26 cl and a clear bowl. That way, the white foam, pale yellow cocktail, and dark red bitters drops stand out clearly against each other, which also makes for a great photo. If you’d like a slightly deeper bowl, take a look at our coupette glasses.
RCR Timeless Champagne Glass / Coupe 26 cl (6 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco America'20S Champagne Glass / Coupe 22 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 79,90.
The right tools
For a Pisco Sour, besides the glass, you’ll need a Boston shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a cocktail strainer, a fine-mesh strainer for double straining, and a bitters bottle. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you’ll find them all in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our pick 01) + 5 bar tools together € 119,70.
Variations & twists
In Chile, they leave out the egg white and use pica limes. Same name, a very different drink. Use honey instead of sugar syrup for a rounder flavor. A little ginger makes it a modern version. If you don’t want egg, aquafaba works here too. Looking for more? Explore more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
For the classic flavor, choose pisco made from quebranta grapes. And the Angostura isn’t just there for looks. You smell it with every sip, giving the cocktail an extra layer.
Good to know
The dry shake for foam
Start by shaking for ten seconds without ice. Without the cold, the egg white can take in much more air. The proteins unfold and form a firm foam. Then add the ice and shake for another fifteen seconds to chill it and add a little water. If you do it the other way around, you’ll be left with a thin layer of bubbles that disappears within a minute. This method gives you half a centimeter of foam that lasts until the glass is empty. Double strain to catch any remaining ice chips.
Pisco sour without egg, with aquafaba
Instead of egg white, use 2 cl of aquafaba. That’s the liquid from a can of chickpeas. It contains soluble proteins and starch, and when shaken, it works almost exactly like egg white. You won’t taste it. Use a can with no added salt, and shake the liquid briefly before using it. You still need to dry shake, and with aquafaba you can shake a little longer. Fifteen seconds without ice, then fifteen with ice. Add an extra half bar spoon of sugar syrup for an even richer texture.
Which pisco should you choose?
Peruvian quebranta pisco is the classic. Neutral enough to let the lime and egg white shine, with a hint of nuttiness underneath. Acholado is a blend of several grapes and works great too. It’s best to skip the aromatic piscos made from torontel or italia grapes here. They’re so floral that they take over the whole cocktail. Peruvian pisco is between 38 and 48 percent alcohol and isn’t aged in wood. Chilean pisco is smoother and is often aged in wood. It makes a very different sour.
How strong is a Pisco Sour
With 4.5 cl of pisco at about 42 percent, the shaker mix is around 19 percent alcohol. Shaking it for twenty-five seconds with plenty of ice adds roughly a quarter of its volume in water. That brings it to about 15 percent in the glass, in a total of around 12 cl, including the foam. That's comparable to a strong glass of wine. The foam collar does make it much easier to drink, though. Each glass contains about 180 calories, mostly from the pisco and the 2 cl of sugar syrup.
Frequently asked questions
What goes into a Pisco Sour?
It contains 4.5 cl pisco, 3 cl fresh lime juice, 2 cl sugar syrup and one egg white. Add three drops of Angostura bitters on top of the foam. The egg white makes it creamy and gives it the thick white foam collar it's known for.
What is a Pisco Sour?
South America's best-known cocktail. A pisco sour, shaken with lime, sugar and egg white, velvety smooth and topped with a foam collar. Serve it in a chilled 19 to 26 cl coupe, where the white foam layer looks its best. Take a look at our champagne coupe glasses, for example.
What is pisco made from?
Pisco is a grape brandy, distilled from grape must in Peru and Chile. For a classic Pisco Sour, use quebranta. Aromatic grapes like torontel and italia make the cocktail more floral. Peru and Chile both consider pisco their national heritage, and they still haven't settled the matter.
What percentage of alcohol is in pisco?
Usually between 38 and 48 percent, and pisco is bottled undiluted. After shaking it with ice, lime juice and sugar syrup, the cocktail contains about 15 percent alcohol. That makes a Pisco Sour dangerously easy to drink. So don't be too generous when pouring.
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