Pisco Sour – The Classic Chilean Aperitif

/ January 23, 2015

I’m not really a great fan of starters. A couple of years ago I read somewhere that the difference between men and women was down to how they read a menu: men start with the main course and then pick the rest, whereas women invariably choose a dessert before checking what else they could fit in. Starters, I’m afraid, regularly loose out to a more appealing pudding.

For this reason I was a bit at a loss when I saw that Angie wanted to start the celebrations for the first anniversary of her legendary Fiesta Friday parties with starters or aperitifs. Fiesta Fridays have become my weekly highlight: a food fest, hosted by the wonderful Angie on her blog The Novice Gardener, they draw people from all over the blogosphere, along with their amazing dishes and pastries and stories. If you have never heard  of it, do check it out – your Fridays will become even more appealing in anticipation of the delicacies you’ll find there!

In order to mark the occasion, I would like to introduce you to Pisco. Pisco is a spirit distilled from grapes and it is usually consumed in a cocktail, most famously as Pisco Sour, the national drink of both Chile and Peru, and one of the most hotly contented issues between the two neighbouring countries (other, minor issues are the question of maritime borders and alleged arms deals between Chile and Ecuador, among others),

Although the Peruvian version is more widely known, this Chilean version is easy to prepare and makes for a delicious and refreshing aperitif. All you need is Pisco (in a silly bottle like ours, if you like it), some lemons, sugar, egg white and ice. Pisco Sour 1

Pisco Sour (serves 4)

  • 100ml lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
  • 300ml Pisco
  • 1 egg white
  • 2-3 tbs icing sugar, to taste
  • 4-5 ice cubes, crushed
  • mixer, 4 sherry glasses or champagne flutes

Mix the lemon juice and Pisco with the icing sugar and adjust sugar to suit your taste. Add the ice and the egg white and mix well, using an electric mixer (or a cocktail shaker, should you have one) to create a stable foam.

Pour into the glasses and serve.Pisco Sour 2

Time to head over to Angie’s and see what everybody else is bringing along! If you’re feeling peckish – or slightly dizzy after the Pisco sour – join me there to sample the starters, cocktails and aperitifs on offer: Angie is being assisted by  Jhuls @The Not So Creative Cook and Juju @cookingwithauntjuju, two equally gifted hosts who will make sure everyone has a great time!
Fiesta Friday Badge Button I was featured

And don’t forget to earmark next week’s event, when the main courses and desserts are being served!

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49 thoughts on “Pisco Sour – The Classic Chilean Aperitif”

    • It’s much more simple than the traditional Peruvian recipe – which is not bad, either, but does seem to include gum syrup and bitters and stuff I don’t have in the house …

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    • Ha ha, the bottle is such an issue in our house as my partner objects to the commodification of sacred imagery of the Easter Islands for the purpose of advertising, pointing out, quite rightly, that the company is not paying the Easter Islanders any fees for using their symbolic property. You should hear him on the ugly Easter Island head-shaped flowerpot I bought a few years back, just to wind him up …

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    • I checked and there are people who drink it neat or in various other combinations, but this is the only version my Chilean family drinks. I wouldn’t really want to drink it on its own, but please do let me know if you come across any interesting cocktails!

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    • See above – that bottle is the start of many a rant here … cue another glass of pisco sour to be able to ignore it … 😉 I shouldn’t complain, really – my research area as a doctoral student was postcolonial theory!

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  5. Love pisco sours, the last time I had a couple though and ended up in the ER :)). I’m not sure if it was the effect of the pisco sour or the fact that I fainted after the pisco sours :)). They are pretty potent, but oh so wonderful! Happy FF Ginger!

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    • I hope it was not the pisco! We spent the weekend in ER ourselves, though, but it was with the baby who was then diagnosed with tonsilitis – can’t blame the pisco for that one 😉

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  6. Pisco sours are a real treat for me, and your pictures are lovely. They take me back to my teen years when I lived in Chile. I don’t often find pisco around here, but occasionally find a bottle on my travels. I even like a small amount neat, or with just a squirt of lemon and ice, but only when I am too lazy to make a proper cocktail with it. Cheers!

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    • This answers Rosario’s question – she was wondering what else you could do with it! I hope you enjoyed your time in Chile, I’ll be visiting it this summer for the first time!

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  9. A Chilean pal introduced me to pisco sours – but haven’t had one for years! I think I must be a man deep down as I’d happily eat a meal which was the whole of the starter menu and no dessert 😉

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    • How weird is that! What a waste of food! Although the other day we went to Casa Moro in London, and I have to admit it took me a while to decide on a starter as their choice was absolutely mouthwatering! I should have had two starters and a main …

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  11. I check the menu from the start up to the last page. But of course, I always skip starters/appetizer as I always go to the main course and dessert. 😀 This sounds so good, Ginger. I hope you are enjoying the party.

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  13. Pingback: First Fiesta Friday Anniversary (Part 1) | The Novice Gardener

  14. What a wonderful contribution to our anniversary party! I love Pisco Sours and was only introduced to them a couple of years ago by a friend who had brought the Pisco home from a trip. I will try one of yours for sure, but I have to admit I’m getting a bit tipsy from sampling all the others…thank goodness this party lasts so long so that we get a chance to try everything! Sure hope you enjoy the party! 😀

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  16. Is it only me thinking of what I’m thinking of right now while reading about the difference between men and women, getting straight to the main dish and never mind the rest??😂interesting that drink Ginger- will get one for sure when in London 😉

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    • I hope you’ll enjoy it! We served it in sherry glasses, which is a bit old-fashioned, whereas the Peruvians seem to go for narrowish tumblers. Whatever glass you go for, the colour is still stunning!

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  22. Well I missed Pisco Sour Day this year… but I’m trying to do “a little catch up.”

    I discovered this cocktail last year and it’s become a favorite. While my recipe includes Key Limes, I think I like regular Persian Limes better.

    Also, I don’t really think that you need a blender – I like the shaker… but that’s just opinion.

    Cheers!

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