Friday Happy Hour

Meet the Pisco Sour. Pisco is a South American brandy made primarily in Peru and Chile, with both claiming theirs is the "real" pisco. According to Wikipedia, the Spanish explorers brought grapes to Peru as early as the 1530s, but the King of Spain outlawed wine in his colonies a hundred years later, forcing the Peruvians to get creative with their grapes. So they started making brandy instead of dealing with the legal hassles of wine. Unlike most European brandies, though, pisco is generally not barrelled, so it is clear, and the sweetness of the South American grapes makes it almost syrupy, masking its alcohol content nicely.

Pisco is classically combined with lemons or limes, something sweet (usually simple syrup), and egg white froth to make the refreshing Pisco Sour. Our local bartender likes grenadine instead of simple syrup, which makes the drink pink.