Monthly Archives: December 2013

The Origin of the Pisco Sour

by  on  in Culinary History
Pisco Sour cocktail recipe in 1903 Peruvian cookbook

Pisco Sour cocktail recipe in 1903 Peruvian cookbook

Until a few days ago, if you had asked me about the history of the Pisco Sour, I would have told you that the Pisco Sour was invented by Victor Morris at his bar in Lima during the 1920’s. And though Chile also claims to have invented the Pisco Sour, documents such as printed advertisements or his bar’s register show that Pisco Sours were being served at the Morris Bar before anywhere else. But a recent discovery of a Peruvian cookbook from 1903 made me question everything I thought I knew about the origin of the Pisco Sour. This cookbook, Nuevo Manual de Cocina a la Criolla (Lima 1903), suggests that the origin of the Pisco Sour may be a traditional creole cocktail made in Lima over 100 years ago.
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Exploring The Pisco Trail

by  on  in Travel
Ica Valley, Peru

Ica Valley, Peru

You can make all the Pisco cocktails in the world, but if you want to understand Pisco, really experience it like never before, and get a sense of its unique history and terroir, then you need to explore the Pisco Trail and travel to its birthplace — the Ica Valley of Peru. Here, for centuries, haciendas at the foothills of the Andes mountains have been growing grapes, making wine, and of course distilling it into Pisco. And a visit to the wineries in the Ica Valley will teach you about four essentials: technique, history, craft, and terroir.
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