Demonio de los Andes Pisco Sour Recipe
Pisco Sour Recipe
Peru's national cocktail. Made properly, with a dry shake and a Tacama-distilled acholado, the Pisco Sour is one of the most architectural drinks in the canon.
Ingredients
- Demonio de los Andes Pisco Acholado60 ml
- Fresh lime juice25 ml
- Sugar syrup (1:1)20 ml
- Egg white1 (about 25 ml)
- Angostura bitters3 drops, for the top
Method
- Add pisco, fresh lime juice, sugar syrup and egg white to a shaker — no ice yet.
- Dry shake hard for 15 seconds. This is the most important step — it builds the foam.
- Add cubed ice and shake again, hard, for 10 seconds to chill and dilute.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
- Drop three small dots of Angostura bitters across the surface and drag a cocktail stick through them in a single sweep for the classic pattern.
Garnish: Three Angostura dots on the foam
Why this works
The Pisco Sour as we know it was created in Lima around 1920 by an American bartender named Victor Vaughen Morris. By the 1960s it was Peru's national cocktail, codified by law as the country's signature drink. Chile makes its own version with Chilean pisco; the Peruvian original is the one we're building.
Demonio de los Andes is distilled at the Tacama estate in the Ica Valley — Peru's oldest commercial vineyard, dating to 1540. The Acholado expression is a blend of grape varieties (Quebranta, Italia, Albilla and others), giving it more aromatic complexity than the single-variety Quebranta-only piscos. On the nose: white stone fruit, faint earthy minerality, dried herbs. That complexity is what carries the sour past the egg-white texture into something more layered than a standard whisky sour.
Bartender tips
The dry shake first is what most home builds miss. Egg white needs aeration without ice present — the lower temperature of a wet shake stops the foam from setting. Always shake hard for the dry shake; gentle won't build foam. Use fresh egg whites only (the carton kind don't whip). For high-volume service, pasteurised liquid egg white is the legal solution. The three Angostura dots are decorative, but the bitters also balance the egg-white softness — don't skip them.
Featured products
Demonio de los Andes Pisco Acholado
Multi-grape pisco from the Tacama estate in Peru's Ica Valley. Floral, fruity, with mineral depth.
Shop the bottleGiffard Pomegranate Syrup
Add 10 ml for a Pomegranate Pisco Sour variant — Lima's modern bars have been pouring this version for years.
Shop the bottleGiffard Passionfruit Syrup
For a Pisco Sour Maracuyá — Peru's most popular tropical-fruit variant.
Shop the bottleFAQ
Can I make a Pisco Sour without egg white?
You can substitute aquafaba (chickpea brine) at 25 ml — it whips identically and works for vegan service. Skipping the foam entirely turns it into a Pisco Punch — different drink.
What's the difference between Peruvian and Chilean pisco?
Peruvian pisco is distilled to proof (no water added) and never aged in wood. Chilean pisco can be diluted post-distillation and is often briefly aged. The two are legally distinct products.
Is it sweet?
Balanced. The 25 ml lime to 20 ml syrup is on the drier end; it should read as tart with sugar in support, not the reverse.
Can I batch the foam?
Not really — the foam degrades within minutes of being built. For service, batch the spirits and citrus, then add fresh egg white per drink and dry-shake to order.