Peruvians claim pisco as their own, proudly, and have cast the cocktail at the center of their culture. It is a must-have at celebrations. \u201dWe serve it for Christmas when we do our brindis, whenever family gathers, for a special birthday, when friends come over. It\u2019s festive,\u201d explains one of our favorite Peruvian homecooks, Ceci Oblitas Reinhofer<\/a>, who is from Lima, Peru and now lives in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When she serves a pisco sour to friends in the U.S. for the first time, they look at it strangely, often confusing the the drink with a Mexican margarita, she says. Both are pale yellow, but that\u2019s about it, she tells them. Pisco and tequila are very different in taste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, a pisco sour has a beaten egg white in it, which makes this cocktail a sour, like its Colombian cousin, the aguardiente sour<\/a>. \u201dAnd people say what<\/em>? A cocktail with egg in it?\u201d laughs Ceci. \u201dThat’s when I have to start explaining.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The other intriguing ingredient in this drink is Angustura bitters, placed on top of the egg foam. They help give the cocktail its distinctive look: three dots, says Ceci, but it’s mostly for decoration. \u201dThey are a garnish on the egg white. Some people mix it in, others leave them on the foam and just drink through it. It doesn\u2019t affect the taste, for me.\u201d Ceci says she also likes to sprinkle a dash or two of ground cinnamon to her pisco sour topping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201dI love this drink because it is very light,\u201d she says. Peruvians drink it with everything, she says: solo as a cocktail at home or at a bar, with a starter like ceviche<\/a>, with a full-on dinner like this Peruvian family-famous recipe for lomo saltado<\/a>, and even with dessert\u2014try it with Ceci\u2019s deep-violet mazamorra morada made from dried purple corn<\/a>. \u201dWe start with a pisco sour and keep going or move on from there,\u201d to beer or wine. \u201dBut we always start with pisco.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ceci makes sure she always has this Peruvian alcohol on hand. Pisco is available at most liquor stores in the U.S. and whenever she goes back home, she brings back a bottle or two to make sure she is stocked up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When friends or family next come over or even if it’s just Friday night, Ceci is pisco ready to raise her glass and celebrate the moment, Peruvian style.<\/p>\n\n\n\nReady to Make a Traditional Peruvian Pisco Sour?<\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"Pisco](\"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Pisco-sour-3-e1635168846819-800x530.jpg\")
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