Pisco Sour - Preparation and Variants

Preparation and Variants

The Peruvian and Chilean versions of the Pisco Sour are prepared differently. The Peruvian Pisco Sour cocktail is made by mixing Peruvian Pisco with lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, Angostura bitters (for garnish), and ice cubes. The Chilean Pisco Sour cocktail is made by mixing Chilean Pisco with lemon juice, powdered sugar, egg white, and ice cubes.

According to food and wine expert Mark Spivak, "there are significant differences between the two versions". Spivak attributes the difference as deriving from the way both beverages are produced; for whereas "Chilean pisco is mass-produced", the Peruvian version "is made in small batches". Cocktail historian Andrew Bohrer focuses his comparison on taste, claiming that "n Peru, pisco is made in a pot still, distilled to proof, and un-aged; it is very similar to grappa. In Chile, pisco is made in a column still and aged in wood; it is similar to a very light cognac". Chilean oenologist Patricio Tapia adds that while Chilean Pisco producers usually mix vine stocks, Peruvian producers have specific Pisco types that use the aromatic qualities of vines such as Yellow Muscat and Italia. Tapia concludes this is why Peruvian Pisco bottles denote their vintage year and the Chilean versions do not.

Variations of the Pisco Sour exist in Peru and Chile. There are adaptations of the cocktail in Peru using fruits such as maracuya, aguaymanto, and apples, or traditional ingredients such the coca leaf. In Chile, different forms of the Pisco Sour recipe can be found, such as the Ají Sour (with a spicy green chili), Mango Sour (with mango juice), and Sour de Campo (with ginger and honey).

Cocktails similar to the Pisco Sour include the Chilean Piscola and the Peruvian Algarrobina Cocktail. Piscola is made by mixing Pisco with Coca-Cola. The Algarrobina Cocktail is made from Pisco, condensed milk, and sap from the Peruvian algarroba tree. Another similar cocktail, from the United States, is the Californian Pisco punch, originally made with Peruvian Pisco, pineapples, and lemon.

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