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Origins of Pisco Sour

No trip to Peru would be complete without sampling a glass or two of its famous national drink, Pisco Sour. And what’s more, its sweet, refreshing flavor can be just the ticket for awakening the taste buds, prior to tucking into the local cuisine. For many bars across the country it holds a special place as the prize cocktail on the menu, and forms a genuine part of the country’s national heritage.

The cocktail is based around pisco and lime juice, along with a helping of whisked up egg white. The drink was created by adding the ‘sour’ element in the English style through various ingredients that counteract the acidity of the small key lime used in the drink. The classic recipe is based on 3 ounces of pisco, 1 ounce of green lime juice to add the acidity, 1 ounce of syrup, 1 egg white, 6 cubes of ice and 1 or 2 drops of Angostura bitters used as decoration. The ingredients must be mixed in a cocktail shaker prior to serving. If a liquidator is used, then all ingredients less the egg white must be mixed for one minute, and for five further seconds after adding the egg white.

The origins of the drink can be traced back to the era of the Viceroyalty of Peru in the eighteenth century when pisco used to be mixed with lime in bars adjacent to the bullring in central Lima, the country’s capital city. But the first mention of pisco sour itself dates back to 1928 on a leaflet promoting Bar Morris in Lima, which highlights the cocktail as one of its specialties. It was offered as a novel drink inspired by its counterpart, whisky sour, and was believed to have been first prepared by three Peruvian bartenders. On the other hand, in Jose Antonio Schiaffino’s book ‘The origin of Pisco Sour’ it is claimed the inventor of the recipe was the Californian Victor V. Morris, the owner of Bar Morris itself. To whomever homage must be paid, if you’re a traveler interested in sampling the drink inside the very premises where it was first served, you’ll be firmly disappointed. The bar that first opened its doors in 1915 has been closed since 1933.

But don’t get disheartened. Following the pioneering work that took place at Bar Morris, many of the more elegant hotels in Lima of that era started to imitate the drink, including Hotel Maury and the exclusive Hotel Bolivar on Plaza San Martin, which remains today the most famous place in Lima to sup on a Pisco sour. It is said that the great American writer Ernest Hemingway holds the record for the most pisco sours consumed in one sitting there. Since such times the aperitif has spread not just within Peru itself, but further field thanks to the opening of Peruvian restaurants around the world.

Its diffusion has been spurred on by various initiatives to promote the drink over the years. In 2003 the Peruvian government took a decision to actively promote it both domestically and internationally. This has been implemented through initiatives such as the stipulation that all entities representing the Peruvian government, its diplomatic missions and consulates, must spend at least 50% of their budget for the purchase of spirits on pisco. A ministerial resolution brought in on 22nd  April 2004 decreed that the first Saturday of February of each year was to be celebrated as Pisco Sour day across the nation. In 2007 the National Institute of Peruvian culture declared pisco sour an official part of the cultural heritage of the nation.

One big obstacle limiting the diffusion of Pisco sour around the world has to do with one of its key ingredients, the lime. The lime used is grown in the north of Peru and is significantly smaller than the more widely produced and globally exported Tahiti lime, as well as being notably more acidic, an essential aspect of the drink. So until there is a notable drive to export this variety of lime, barmen across the world will find it hard to replicate a true pisco sour.

All the more reason then, if you’re heading to Lima or any other part of Peru, to hunt out the best bar for a well-made pisco sour. You’ll be drinking to the health and heritage of a nation.