Pisco Sour or Maracuya Sour

On a recent trip to Peru with my husband, I was on a mission to find the best Pisco Sour.  What is a Pisco Sour?  It is a simple drink made from, you guessed it, Pisco (spirit primarily from Peru made from grapes)!  The only other ingredients are lime juice, simple syrup, egg white and dash of bitters sprinkled on top.  While on the sour side, as its name suggests, it has a well-balanced taste between the sour from the lime and the sugar in the simple syrup.  The egg white rounds them all out creating a froth at the top of the drink.

Upon arrival, we happily went from place to place and I would try the classic Pisco Sour and enjoyed almost all of them.  The first stop we went to the bartender had a tough time and it reflected in the drink.  I was surprised since it is Peru’s national drink!  Luckily, we stopped at La Mar the following day for a delicious, not to disappoint, Pisco Sour.

Then after a few stops, I was watching a bartender prep a large amount of passion fruit juice.  I asked what they make it for and to my surprise, it was a Maracuya Sour (Passion Fruit Sour)!  How did I not know about this?  It was love at first sip.  As much as I was enjoying the Pisco Sour, truth be told I didn’t order another one the rest of the trip.  I am a big fan of tart and/or sour drinks and both the Pisco Sour and Maracuya Sour fit the bill.  The only difference between the two is to substitute the lime juice for the passion fruit juice.  This created a tarter taste that I personally preferred.

Top picks for Pisco Sour:

• #1 La Mar, Lima Peru – not only is the Pisco Sour delicious, their other drinks aren’t to be missed. For food, the Classic Ceviche (catch of the day) is amazing.  Literally the best ceviche I have ever had, and that is saying a lot since we have ceviche fairly often.  http://www.lamarcebicheria.com/en/Lima
• #2 Huaca Pucallano, Lima Peru – There is a restaurant/lounge area located at the ruins. You have a wonderful view while sipping on your Pisco Sour

Top picks for Maracuya Sour:

• #1 Limbus Resto Bar, Cusco Peru – While the Maracuya Sour was my favorite, all the drinks, and food we ordered was very good. It has the best view overlooking Cusco. http://www.limbusrestobar.com/
• #2 Museo del Pisco, Cusco Peru – A cute little spot serving really delicious drinks. They have the largest variety of Pisco that we found. https://museodelpisco.org/
• # 3 Casa Andina Premium Mira Flores, Lima Peru – Our hotel bar actually made a really yummy drink

Pisco or Maracuya Sour Recipe:

3 oz of Pisco

1 oz of Lime Juice or Passion Fruit Juice

1 oz of Simple Syrup (adjust as you prefer)

1 Egg White

2-3 dashes of bitters (for the Pisco Sour only)

Add all the ingredients other than the bitters to a cocktail shaker with ice.  We were told the key it a good Pisco was to shake it for at least a minute, vigorously but does not need to be too hard.  Strain over a cocktail glass.  For the Pisco Sour, add the 2-3 dashes of bitters on top.

Safe and happy travels!

-Jen