Shake hard and fine strain over fresh ice
Whiskey Sour
Bright lemon, rounded bourbon, and a gently bittersweet finish.
Shake hard with ice, fine-strain, and dot the foam with bitters
Pisco Sour
A Peruvian sour shaken with pasteurized egg white for a smooth cap of foam, then finished with aromatic bitters.
Verified by CocktailSteps Editorial Team
- Time
- 5 minutes
- Level
- Intermediate
- Glass
- Goblet
- Approx. ABV
- 20% · Medium-high
Measured for the room
Ingredients
2 ozPiscoRecommended brandBarsol Primero Quebranta Pisco
1 ozFresh lemon juiceRecommended brandSunkist Lemon
0.67 ozSimple syrupRecommended brandMonin Pure Cane Syrup
1 piecePasteurized egg whiteRecommended brandFresh pasteurized egg white
3 dashesAromatic bittersOptionalRecommended brandANGOSTURA Aromatic Bitters
Amounts scale from the verified one-glass recipe. Technique and timing stay unchanged.
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Pisco
Aromatic bitters
Measured method
How to make Pisco Sour
- 01
Add the pisco
2 oz pisco
Pour 2 oz pisco into the shaker.
Add the pisco visual check - 02
Add the lemon
1 oz fresh lemon juice
Pour 1 oz fresh lemon juice into the shaker.
Add the lemon visual check - 03
Add the syrup
⅔ oz simple syrup
Pour ⅔ oz simple syrup into the shaker.
Add the syrup visual check - 04
Add the egg white
1 pasteurized egg white
Pour 1 pasteurized egg white into the shaker.
Add the egg white visual check - 05
Fill the shaker with ice
Cubed ice · fill shaker
Fill the shaker with cubed ice.
Fill the shaker with ice visual check - 06
Shake hard
Shake hard · 12 sec
Shake hard for 12 seconds to chill and aerate the sour.
Shake hard visual check - 07
Fine-strain into the goblet
Fine-strain · chilled goblet
Fine-strain the shaken sour into a chilled goblet.
Fine-strain into the goblet visual check - 08
Dot with bitters
3 dashes aromatic bitters
Add 3 dashes of aromatic bitters to the foam.
Dot with bitters visual check
Key move
Use pasteurized egg white and shake hard enough to build a stable foam
Verified technique note
Why this build works
The 2 ounces of pisco remain clear against 1 ounce of fresh lemon, while ⅔ ounce of simple syrup softens the acid without matching it volume for volume. One pasteurized egg white provides the protein structure for a stable foam and rounds the drink's texture without changing its sweet-sour ratio. A hard 12-second shake with ice performs three jobs at once: chilling, dilution, and aeration. Fine straining removes ice fragments so the foam can settle evenly in the goblet, and three measured dashes of bitters add aroma on top rather than muddying the pale drink beneath.
Common failure points
- The foam is loose or separates before serving.
- Use one pasteurized egg white and shake hard for the complete 12 seconds.
- Ice fragments break through the foam.
- Fine strain into the chilled goblet instead of using only the shaker strainer.
Measure or substitute
Amargo Chuncho bitters can replace aromatic bitters at the same 3-dash measure. Keep the lemon at 1 ounce and syrup at ⅔ ounce rather than rounding both to equal measures.
Set the station
Tools
JiggerRecommended brandCocktail Kingdom Japanese Style Jigger
Cocktail shakerRecommended brandCocktail Kingdom KORIKO Shaking Tins
Fine strainerRecommended brandCocktail Kingdom COCO Mesh Cone
GobletRecommended brandLibbey Embassy Goblet
Know the pour
Medium-high
Two ounces of pisco remain prominent after shaking and dilution.
Contains alcohol and egg. Use only pasteurized egg white, keep it chilled, and serve only to adults of legal drinking age.
