THE ORIGIN OF El PISCO SOUR

According to the researcher from the ex-Ministry of Culture, César Coloma, our acclaimed drink was created in Lima at the beginning of the 20th century -it is estimated that around 1920- by the British immigrant Víctor V. Morris, owner of the Morris Bar, located in the old street Boza 847, in Jirón de la Unión.

The first reference to Pisco Sour was found in the book Lima, the city of viceroys, published in 1927 by Cipriano A. Laos. In the text appears an advertisement for the Morris Bar, which by then had become «famous for the exquisite preparation of its ‘pisco-sour’ and ‘whisky-sour’, in which it uses genuine spirits.»

However, this is not the only version of his birth. A small catalog entitled Manual de cocina a la criolla, edited by S.E. Ledesma and published in 1903, includes the recipe for a punch that he simply calls «Cocktail». This preparation is extremely similar to what we know today as Pisco Sour.

From the Morris Bar, the Pisco Sour made its way to the main hotels in Lima: the Hotel Maury, the Hotel Bolívar and the Country Club. It was on this path that the cocktail was perfected and the recipe that we all know today was cemented. Since then, it has managed to win over the palates of illustrious personalities such as John Wayne, Orson Welles, Walt Disney, Clark Gable or Ava Gardner.

One of the main culprits, says researcher Guillermo Toro Lira, was bartender Mario Bruiget, a native of Chincha and an apprentice of Victor Morris. When the Morris Bar closed in 1929, Bruiget took the recipe to the Hotel Maury, where he continued to work. Toro Lira even considers him as the co-author of the Pisco Sour.

After more than 100 years of history, the Pisco Sour continues to gain popularity and conquer the palates of not only Peruvians, but also diners from all over the world. This Saturday, February 5, let’s celebrate with Pisco Sour and a lot of Peruvian pride. Salud!