{{WPMIXInfobox

| iba =

| name = Pisco Sour

| image = Pisco sour 20100613b.JPG

| caption = Peruvian Pisco Sour

| type = cocktail

| flaming =

| pisco = yes

| served = straight

| garnish =

| drinkware = old

| ingredients = * 2 fl oz (8 parts) [[Pisco]]

* 1 fl oz (4 parts) [[Lime (fruit)|Lime]] juice

* 3/4 fl oz (3 part) [[Simple syrup]]

* 1 [[Egg white]]

* 1 dash [[Bitters]]

| prep = Shake hard or blend with ice and strain into glass. The bitters are an aromatic [[Cocktail garnish|garnish]] topping the finished drink, put on top of pisco sour foam.

| notes =

| footnotes = Recipe adapted from ''The Joy of Mixology'' by Gary Regan

}}

A '''Pisco Sour''' is a [[cocktail]] typical of [[Chilean cuisine|Chilean]] and [[Peruvian cuisine]]. Its preparation requires the use of [[pisco]], [[lemon]] or [[Lime (fruit)|lime]] juice, and diverse aggregates. The two main versions of the drink, the Peruvian and Chilean, are distinguished by their national pisco types and aggregates. Variants of the cocktail include those created with fruits, like [[mango]] and [[pineapple]], or products such as [[ginger]], [[Coca-Cola]], and [[coca leaves]].

The cocktail originated in [[Peru]], invented in the Peruvian capital of [[Lima]] by [[Victor Vaughn Morris]] in the early 1920s. An American [[bartender]], Morris left his native [[United States]] in 1903 to work in [[Cerro de Pasco]], a city in central Peru. In 1916, he inaugurated in Lima his [[Bar (establishment)|saloon]], ''Morris' Bar'', which became a popular spot for the Peruvian [[Upper class]] and English-speaking foreigners. Coincidentally, the oldest mention of the Pisco Sour so far found comes from an [[advertisement]] from ''Morris' Bar'' published in a 1924 English newspaper from the Chilean port of [[Valparaiso]].

The Pisco Sour underwent several changes until [[Mario Bruiget]], a Peruvian bartender working at ''Morris' Bar'', created the modern Peruvian recipe of the cocktail in the latter part of the 1920s by adding [[Angostura bitters]] and [[egg white]]s to the mix. In Chile, historian [[Oreste Plath]] attributed the invention of the drink to [[Elliot Stubb]], an English [[Steward's assistant|steward]] of a ship named ''Sunshine'', whom allegedly mixed [[Key lime]], [[syrup]], and [[ice cube]]s to create the cocktail in a bar in the port city of [[Iquique]] in 1872. Nonetheless, not only was Iquique a Peruvian city at the time (prior to its annexation by Chile in the aftermath of the [[War of the Pacific]] in 1883), but the original source cited by Plath mentioned Stubb inventing the [[Whisky Sour]].

Both [[Chile]] and Peru claim ownership of the Pisco Sour and denominate it their [[List of national liquors|national drink]]. Peru considers that both [[Pisco]] and the Pisco Sour should be considered exclusively Peruvian. However, Chile contests this claim and, in turn, also claims ownership over both alcoholic beverages. Partially as a result of this controversy, the Pisco Sour holds international attention as a topic of popular culture.

== Etymology ==

== History ==

=== Background ===

{{main|Pisco}}

The roots of [[Pisco]] itself reach back to the 16th century and stem from Colonial rule. The [[Spain|Spaniards]] brought the grape to the Peruvian region from Europe, but the [[King of Spain]] banned [[wine]] in the 17th Century, forcing locals to concoct a different kind of alcohol from the grape.<ref name="BlackTable">Daulerio, A.J. & Eric Gillin (2004-02-19). [http://www.blacktable.com/pisco040219.htm Throw Yourself a Pisco Party]. ''The Black Table.'' Retrieved 2006-12-22.</ref>

Guillermo Toro Lira writes in his book ''Wings of Cherubs'' that Pisco Sour's antecedent was invented near the ''Plaza de Toros de Acho'' of [[Lima]], in the [[Viceroyalty of Peru]] during the 18th century. At this time, Pisco was mixed with lemons, and received the name ''Punche'' (Spanish for [[Punch (drink)|Punch]]). This drink also served as the predecessor for the [[California]]n [[Pisco punch]], invented during the 20th century in the Bank Exchange Bar of [[San Francisco]] and which contains Pisco, lemon, and pineapple.<ref>[http://www.piscopunch.com/index.php?lang=eng Wings of cherubs. Guillermo Toro Lira]</ref>

=== Origin ===

Two accounts tell the story of the invention of the Pisco Sour.

According to the Morris account, in the early 20th century the [[Morris' Bar]] of Lima, [[Peru]], created and popularized the drink Pisco Sour. The bar's owner, Victor Vaughn Morris,<ref>{{cite web|author=Jensson Benavides Saldaña |url=http://www.asiasur.com/sec4texto.php?edicion=88&idpagina=1612&idhojaact=2438 |title=Revista AS - Punto aparte: Michael Morris. Una historia en Cerro de Pisco |publisher=Asiasur.com |date= |accessdate=2011-12-03}}</ref> was a [[bartender]] born in the [[United States]], in [[Berkeley, California]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=QQPQnCwBdJ8C&pg=PT297&dq=Bar+Morris+Pisco+Sour&hl=en&ei=nTvITejzI6fq0gGI97SrCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Bar%20Morris%20Pisco%20Sour&f=false |title=The Essential Cocktail: The Art of ... - Dale DeGroff - Google Books |publisher=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2011-12-03}}</ref> Nicknamed ''[[Gringo]]'', Victor Morris created the drink as a variety of the [[Whisky Sour]]. The Pisco Sour's popularity reached bars as far north as San Francisco in the United States by the 1930s.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=Ubt94L01rkQC&pg=PA115&dq=Bar+Morris+Pisco+Sour&hl=en&ei=nTvITejzI6fq0gGI97SrCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Bar%20Morris%20Pisco%20Sour&f=false Page 115]</ref> Renown Chilean historian [[Gonzalo Vial Correa]] also attributes the Pisco Sour's invention to "Gringo" Morris from the Peruvian Morris Bar, but presents his name as William Morris.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=R2fjAAAAMAAJ&q=Bar+Morris+Pisco+Sour&dq=Bar+Morris+Pisco+Sour&hl=en&ei=nTvITejzI6fq0gGI97SrCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CGEQ6AEwBw Page 352]</ref>

Peruvian researcher Guillermo Toro-Lira provides a much more detailed version of Victor Morris' invention. According to Toro-Lira, Morris was born in [[Salt Lake City]], [[Utah]], in the United States. Morris traveled to Peru in 1903 and worked as a cashier in the [[Cerro de Pasco]] Railway Company. On April 1, 1916, he inaugurated his bar in Lima under the name "Morris' Bar". While open, the bar served as a gathering spot for English-speaking foreigners and notable individuals such as ambassadors and wealthy businessmen. Morris' Bar remained well known for its Pisco Sour, Victor Morris' invention, until 1929 when the bar closed due to Morris' declining health and increasing competition from other Limean bars, including the departure of some of Morris' bartenders to competing bars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.piscopunch.com/articles.php |title=Wings of Cherubs |publisher=Piscopunch.com |date= |accessdate=2011-12-03}}</ref>

According to the Stubb account, the origin of the pisco sour story told of an [[England|English]] steward of a sailing ship named "Sunshine". In 1872, Elliot Stubb obtained leave to disembark in the port of [[Iquique]], which was a Peruvian city at the time prior to it [[War of the Pacific|becoming a Chilean city]] in 1884, with the aim of settling in the city and opening a bar. In his bar, he experimented with many aperitifs and drinks, of which one would become the Pisco Sour.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=8G5aWddvUh4C&pg=PA275&lpg=PA275&dq=elliot+stubb&source=bl&ots=pmowkJpXBe&sig=2xLuJ5OGL6mWZ2I6KfhKx9-Pl_U&hl=en&ei=lSxxTZqGBofTgQf4noVA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBMQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=elliot%20stubb&f=false books.google.com]</ref>

== Preparation and variants ==

In Chile, different spin-offs of the Pisco Sour recipe can be found, such as the Ají Sour (with a spicy green chili), Mango Sour (with [[mango]] juice), Sour de Campo (with [[ginger]] and honey), and Sour [[Hass avocado|Hass]] (with [[avocado]]s, pineapple, and [[Mentha|mint]]).

In Peru, additional variations of the Pisco Sour can be found, combining some traditional Peruvian jungle fruits such as aguaymanto, cocona or traditional leaves such as the [[coca leaf]] in the Coca Sour. Another cocktail prepared with Peruvian Pisco is ''Chilcano'' ([[ginger ale]], honey, lemon).

<gallery>

Image:Aguaymanto sour Cusco 02012010.JPG|<center>Aguaymanto Sour</center>

Image:Chicha morada y pisco sour 20100704.JPG|<center>Peruvian Pisco Sour</center>

Image:Piscolachile.jpg|<center>Piscola</center>

Image:Tacna sour 31072010.jpg|<center>Tacna Sour</center>

Image:PiscoChile.JPG|<center>Chilean Pisco Sour</center>

Image:Cocktail de Algarrobina. El Cántaro, Lambayeque.jpg|<center>Algarrobina Cocktail</center>

</gallery>

== Nationality dispute ==

{{see also|Chile–Peru relations}}

The national origin of the pisco sour is debated. Both [[Chile]] and [[Peru]] lay claim to the drink.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-cocktail21-2008may21,0,4918724.story A summer twist on pisco sour, caipirinha cocktails - Los Angeles Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In both countries, the variety of lime used is what North Americans would call [[Key lime]] but Peruvians call simply "limón" (lemon) and Chileans "limón de [[Pica, Chile|Pica]]". In the United States, the drink is usually made with commonly available Lisbon or Eureka lemons. With the increased availability of [[Pisco]] and regional bitters outside South America, the Pisco Sour, like the [[Mojito]] and [[Caipirinha]], has increased in popularity in the [[United States]].

Since 2003, Peru has a National Pisco Sour Day which is celebrated on the first weekend of February.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100209/lf_afp/lifestyleperueconomydrinkbeverage_20100209083751 - Peru toasts pisco boom in annual cocktail day - AFP.<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

== Popularity ==

[[File:Presidentes Cristina Fernandez y Alan Garcia brindan con pisco.jpg|thumb|right|Argentine president [[Cristina Fernandez]] and then Peruvian president [[Alan Garcia]] toast with a Peruvian Pisco Sour.]]

*The comedian [[Zane Lamprey]], host of the show [[Three Sheets]], filmed an episode in Chile which featured various beverages, including Pisco Sour which aired in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hulu.com/watch/15492/three-sheets-chile |title=Three Sheets: Chile - Watch the full episode now |publisher=Hulu |date= |accessdate=2011-12-03}}</ref>

*American [[celebrity chef]] [[Anthony Bourdain]] drank, in an episode for the [[Travel Channel]] program [[Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations]] filmed in Chile, Pisco Sour at the [[Valparaiso]] restaurant "La Playa." He later expressed his disgust for the drink, to the point that at [[Puerto Varas]] he chose to drink [[white wine]] after being offered another Pisco Sour. Jorge López, the episode's Chilean producer and Bourdain's travel partner in Chile, explained that chef Bourdain found the Pisco Sour he drank in Valparaiso as "boring and worthless." Lopez added that chef Bourdain had just recently arrived from Peru, where he drank and enjoyed several Pisco Sours, which he thought were better tasting than the Chilean versions. A Chilean critic, Enrique Rivera, countered that chef Bourdain is a celebrity who generalizes the quality of a country's food by tasting only at a few places. A local newspaper in Chile further expressed that Bourdain's comment "constitutes a painful stab wound to the national pride."<ref>{{es icon}} peru.com [http://www.peru.com/noticias/portada20090718/45353/Chef-Anthony-Bourdain-El-pisco-sour-chileno-no-vale-la-pena El-pisco-sour-chileno-no-vale-la-pena]</ref>

*On November 17, 2009 [[Adal Ramones]], a Mexican television show host and comedian, made a joke about Pisco Sours, in regard to the [[2009 Chile-Peru espionage scandal]]: "What do the Chileans want to spy from Peru? How to make a good Pisco Sour?"{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}}

*In late 2010 Mexican singer-songwriter [[Aleks Syntek]] created controversy via [[Twitter]] when he posted that the Pisco Sour is Chilean. After receiving a critical response from the Peruvian Twitter community, Syntek posted that he was only kidding.{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}}

*In his series of novels beginning with the book [[Alastair Reynolds#Revelation Space|Revelation Space]], author [[Alastair Reynolds]] wrote several characters who prefer pisco sours, and trying to convince others to try the beverage.

* [[List of cocktails with less common spirits]]

* [[Peruvian cuisine#Alcoholic Drinks|Peruvian alcoholic drinks]]

* [[Pisco]]

* [[Sour (cocktail)]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* [http://www.go2peru.com/pisco.htm Go2Peru.com] - Tourism site with information about Peruvian Pisco along with a recipe.

* [http://www.piscosour.com Piscosour.com] - The most complete website about Pisco Sour.

[[Category:Cocktails with brandy or cognac]]

[[Category:Sour cocktails]]

[[Category:Pisco]]

[[Category:Chilean alcoholic beverages]]

[[Category:Peruvian alcoholic beverages]]

[[Category:Cocktails with bitters]]

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