The Battle of the Pisco

The Pisco Sour, a drink that I may have had one too many of while backpacking in South America, is a delicious concoction. Simple in its ingredients, the classic cocktail has simple syrup, citrus juice (of the lemon/lime variety), egg white (Peruvian, Chilean's just shake the hell out of it), bitters for garnish (optional), and Pisco- a brandy like substance made from both Peruvian and Chilean grapes respectively, of course. And in that, the battle ensues. Who owns this drink? A topic frequently debated in Latin America. Both claim the drink not only as their national cocktail but as the country that invented it.  The irony? Peru claims that an American bartender created the drink while working in Lima while a Chilean historian believes an Englishmen working in the port town of Iquique mixed the key ingredients together. So Iquique is in modern day Chile but at the time was part of Peru  and to add even more confusion, this might have simply been the creation of The Whiskey Sour. But you know, no matter the inventor or origin or the fact that each nation claims ownership, (I mean Peru is pretty hardcore over this drink, they even have a public holiday every February to celebrate the Pisco Sour) it is a pretty classy drink that does vary from grape to grape.  Both countries hold great pride in making these darn good drinks. So whether you buy from Chile or Peru (I won't tell) have a little fun at home and see what you can do with your version of a Pisco Sour.