Monday, July 30, 2007

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 kaffir 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!]
at

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous8/02/2007 6:13 AM

    Great article on Peru! Doe you know of some other bars that do a lot with pisco? I'm always on the lookout for it when I travel around, but it still seems somewhat elusive, although I may just not be looking in the right places.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Imbibe Magazine8/02/2007 9:37 AM

    For a good pisco sour, try El Vaquero in Eugene, Ore., Limon in Denver or Andina in Portland, Ore. Seems like the pisco sour is making its way onto more bar menus every week, so your quest might soon get easier. For more extensive peru cocktails, check out Alo in Dallas and Pardo's in NYC. And if your travels take you to Peru, all the better!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous8/03/2007 9:31 PM

    Thanks for the suggestions. I'm always looking for a reason to travel to NY, so I'll definitely check out Pardos next time.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous8/11/2007 10:33 AM

    Up here on the Seattle Eastside, Mixtura is a Peruvian restaurant serving Pisco.

    There are a few in Seattle proper, too.

    I haven't tried any of these restaurants yet, but now that I've seen your recipe and photo, I'm making plans. :) I'll stop by Andina next time I'm in Portland.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous8/11/2007 1:57 PM

    Andina is worth the trip!

    ReplyDelete