Randy Woodward

Pisco Sour and Other Pisco Cocktails Randy Woodward

Pisco is a brandy made by distilling grape wine. It is made in wine-producing areas in Chile and Peru as an alternative to the Spanish orujo which is made from pomace (the solid remains of grapes after the juice is removed). At the time, Chile and Peru imported orujo and other liquors from Spain. Peru was then a viceroyalty of Spain. Peru began to make their own wine in 1560, then the Spanish government banned Peru from exporting their wines to Panama (1614) and Guatemala (1615). In retaliation to the ban on the exportation of their wines and to find an alternative to the orujo, the pisco was started in the early 17th century but the first batches of aguardiente were used to prevent oxidation of the wines. When the brandy was first made, it was called aguardiente de pisco (lit. alcoholic beverage from Pisco), which was later shortened to just pisco. However, with the mining boom in Potosi, Bolivia, the wine and pisco consumption began to show progress by the time the first pisco was distilled. While pisco is a Latin American liquor, the Pisco Sour is an American cocktail credited to Victor Morris, an expat bartender who made this cocktail in Lima in the 1920s. Since then, the cocktail has gained popularity that it became a staple not only in South America but also in other parts of the world where the Hispanic and Latin American culture is strong. This drink is also popular to other cultures, especially after it was served during the 2008 APEC summit in Peru.