As I mentioned in my intro, I know that Chile is famous for its wine, but it also is the home of other types of alcohol – in this case, pisco, a light-coloured brandy. I’ve also clearly just walked right into an international tussle – both Chile and Peru lay claim to the origins of pisco and both have strong opinions about how one is to make a pisco sour!

I was lucky that I live across the street from the one government liquor store that carries a huge variety of imported drinks, so I was able to snag a bottle of El Gobernador pisco. I don’t think I’ve ever had pisco before, or at least not on its own, so I’m going to give it a taste test before I make the sour.

It’s made with moscato grapes, so it has a lightly floral scent. It has a bit of a taste of green wood with a bit of something fruity, like a juicy apple. It’s also incredibly smooth, it doesn’t sip like it’s 40%! Wow, this is really good just on it’s own, and I can think of a lot of things this could go with, especially fruit-based drinks.

Okay, let’s make a sour! Both Peru and Chile lay claim to the pisco sour, and while everyone’s recipe has some variation, there is a real difference between the two countries. Chile tends to make theirs as a very simple cocktail of lime juice, sugar, and pisco, while Peru adds bitters and egg white. I’m going off the recipe from the Ginger Spoon, which includes both Chilean and Peruvian variations, and some additional history on the drink. (I’ll try the Peruvian version when Peru rolls around!)

Oh dang that’s good. I used a light hand with the simple syrup, because I love sour more than sweet – the recipe suggested it should taste like lemonade, and I personally would love to have a more sour lemonade! I think I got the ice to a perfect level of small shreds but not a full slush – hit the “crush ice” on your blender for a second but no longer. This is very simple but wow, this is good …. and strong!