Peru’s claim to fame in the drinking world is the Pisco Sour (although this is disputed by some Chileans….).  First a little background from wikipedia:

Pisco (from Quechua: pisqu, little bird)^[1] is a Peruvian liquor distilled from grapes. Developed by Spanish settlers in the sixteenth century, it takes its name from the conical pottery in which it was originally aged, which was also the name of one of the sites where it was produced:Pisco, in the Viceroyalty of Peru.

All you really need to know is that Pisco is everywhere in Peru, and just like any other variety of booze, some is good, some is bad, and some can be used as a degreaser.  The cheapest and easiest way to make a Pisco sour is to head to the local market, grab some Pisco and some “Pisco Sour Mix”, combine and enjoy. This is not a pisco sour.

Here’s how to do it right:

1) Get good pisco. It doesn’t have to be the best to be good, but the cheap stuff just doesn’t do it (by cheap I mean cheapest, most pisco in Peru is pretty cheap).

2) Combine the following in a shaker with ice:

• 2 fl oz (8 parts) Pisco
• 1 fl oz (4 parts) Lime juice
• 3/4 fl oz (3 part) Simple syrup
• 1 Egg white

3) Shake vigorously and strain into a rocks glass. The egg white should have foamed,giving the drink a nice, thick, frothy head. 

4) Add a dash of bitters to the foam, and serve cold.

5) Repeat.

If this is too much work while on vacation in Lima just go to Cafe Haiti on the north side of Parque Kennedy and order a couple.  They are expensive, but they are the best.

Also, if you run out of eggs just make a Peru Libre: one part pisco, two parts coke, and a splash of lime juice served on ice in a collins glass.