Pisco Fever (And a Correction)

Everybody’s talking about pisco, the Peruvian grape brandy. Last Saturday, San Francisco bar chef Duggan McDonnell celebrated Peru’s independence day with a special pisco-centric menu at his cocktail bar Cantina SF. Among the day’s special drinks were the Galapagos, which paired pisco with muddled makrut lime leaves, black pepper syrup, and lime and grapefruit juices, and the Pisco, Love and Understanding, with pisco, muddled lime and cucumber, lemon bitters and Cooper Spirits’ St. Germain Elderflower liqueur.

Travel writer Tim Leffel also writes about pisco and Peru’s other zany drinks in our July/August issue, which is on newsstands now. The story includes this recipe for a classic Pisco Sour, plus other pisco recipes.

Pisco Sour

3 oz. pisco
3/4 oz. simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, dissolved) or 2 tsp. sugar
1 oz. lemon juice, fresh-squeezed
1 egg white
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Ice cubes
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: cocktail or goblet

In a shaker, combine pisco, simple syrup, lemon juice and egg white and shake vigorously with ice. Strain into a glass and dash with bitters.

(photo by Olaf Hammelburg)

[Note: This recipe corrects an error in the version printed in our July/August issue. The proper amount of sugar for this drink is 3/4 oz. simple syrup (or 2 tsp. granulated sugar). As always, adjust sugar levels to taste. Thanks to subscriber Phil Varner for pointing it out!]