The Pisco Sour is traditionally made with pisco, lime juice, egg white and bitters.
Pisco is a South American grape brandy produced in Peru and Chile. In the Peruvian version of the cocktail, it is shaken with citrus juice, simple syrup and egg white, then topped with aromatic bitters. The egg white creates the drink’s characteristic foamy cap.
Peru and Chile both claim the cocktail as part of their national drink traditions, and their pisco styles and preparation customs differ. The Peruvian Pisco Sour is generally the version most associated with the standard recipe using Angostura bitters.
The drink belongs to the wider sour family, which combines a spirit with citrus and a sweetener. Its name therefore describes both its base spirit and its tart profile, rather than referring to a particular brand.