Create a unique twist on the classic Peruvian pisco sour cocktail using homemade lavender simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, and pisco from Peru. This cocktail takes only 5 minutes to shake up and has a beautiful egg white foam on top.
If you're looking for a delicious cocktail with beautiful egg white foam on top, you have to learn how to make this lavender lemon-flavored pisco sour.
Pisco sour cocktails are defined by the grape brandy liquor (pisco) and the classic foamy egg white top. This version of the cocktail has a few other flavor enhancers including lavender and lemon.
This is the best creative cocktail to sip on throughout the summer months, or if you're looking for a unique pisco sour recipe to drink.
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- What type of liquor pisco is, and what flavor profile makes it so unique.
- How to properly shake an egg white cocktail. There's a secret technique bartenders use to get the perfect foam on top.
- And easy, yet elegant, lemon and lavender cocktail garnish.
If you enjoy mixing up cocktails, check out my bartender cheat sheet to learn how to master 45 classic cocktail recipes.
What is Pisco?
Pisco is a type of clear brandy made from grapes. It has a very strong smell and tastes smooth with a sweet grape flavor.
The name Peruvian pisco is able to be printed on the label if the distiller has followed these regulations during the creation process:
- Must be made from one of eight types of grapes: Quebranta, Negra Criolla, Uvina, Mollar, Moscatel, Torontel, Italia and Albilla
- Must be made in the Peruvian cities of either Ica, Lima, Arequipa, Moquegua, or Tacna
- Single distilled between 38 - 48 ABV (yes, this means pisco is a strong liquor)
- Cannot be aged in a wood barrel
- Must rest for a minimum of three months in a nonreactive container like stainless steel, glass, or clay pitcher
Each type of liquor has its own set of regulations, which is how we get so many unique tasting spirits.
Ingredients You Need
A Peruvian pisco sour requires very few ingredients. It's really the pisco that shines through in this cocktail. Here's what you'll need:
- Granulated sugar: This ingredient is used to make homemade simple syrup. This is the traditional sweetener used in pisco sour cocktails.
- Dried lavender flowers: Lavender is cooked with sugar to make a lavender-flavored simple syrup. I prefer to use dried flowers because they have a stronger flavor. However, fresh lavender flowers that are graded for culinary use will also work.
- Pisco: There are many popular brands of pisco on the market. I personally love Macchu Pisco, but other popular ones include Pisco Portón, Barsol Pisco, and Pisco 1615.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is always preferred to bottled lemon juice.
- Egg whites: This ingredient is iconic to the pisco sour and helps achieve the foamy top.
How To Make This Recipe
Make the Lavender Simple Syrup
First, we're making a lavender simple syrup. This recipe is a rich simple syrup. It's a sweeter, thicker syrup that uses two parts sugar and one part water.
To a small saucepan add the sugar, dried lavender flowers, and 1 cup of water. Then, place it over medium heat and allow it to cook just until the sugar has dissolved. It usually takes about 2 - 4 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool until it has stopped steaming.
At this point, taste the simple syrup and see if it has a strong enough lavender flavor. If the flavor is not strong enough, allow the lavender flowers to steep for an extra 30 - 60 minutes until the desired taste is achieved.
Once you've tasted the simple syrup and are happy with the amount of lavender flavor, place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour the mixture over the strainer to separate the simple syrup from the lavender flowers.
The last step is transferring the simple syrup to a reuseable bottle. Make sure this bottle has been thoroughly cleaned so the simple syrup lasts a long time.
This recipe makes about 2 cups of lavender simple syrup, which means you'll have leftover syrup to use in a cold brew coffee or other lavender cocktails.
Shake Up the Cocktail
Here's how to make a pisco sour cocktail. It's a fast process that takes under 5 minutes.
Add pisco, lemon juice, lavender simple syrup, and egg whites to a cocktail shaker. We're using a special mixing method used for egg white cocktails called a dry shake. This is used for other popular drinks with a foamy top such as the whiskey sour, clover club, or amaretto sour.
First, perform a dry shake without ice to allow the foam from the egg whites to begin forming. Then, shake the cocktail again, but this time with ice. The second shake with ice gets the drink cold and strengthens the foam.
Finally, strain the cocktail using a Hawthorne strainer into a chilled lowball or Nick & Nora glass. Optionally, garnish the pisco sour with a lemon slice and some dried lavender flowers.
Expert Tips
- Pisco sours are served straight up (meaning without ice). For a super cold cocktail, try chilling the serving glass. Simply place the serving glass in the freezer 30 - 45 minutes before making the cocktail.
- For a super smooth cocktail, double strain with a mesh strainer and a Hawthorne strainer. This helps to ensure there are no ice crystals in the drink.
- The lavender simple syrup will yield 2 scant cups. This is more than you will need for one cocktail. You can store the leftover simple syrup in the refrigerator for up to 2 months and use it in other cocktails, drinks, and coffee.
Recipe FAQs
Traditional Peruvian pisco sours are served straight up (no ice) with a dash of bitters on top of the egg whites. For this unique recipe, I've opted for a creative lemon garnish and some dried lavender flowers.
Picking out the best type of liquor is up to your personal taste palate. I personally love Macchu Pisco because of the rich grape-like flavor and smooth taste. However, other popular ones include Pisco Portón, Barsol Pisco, and Pisco 1615. It's up to you to taste the varieties of pisco and decide which is best for you.
Make sure you're performing a dry shake when working with egg whites.
To do this, first shake the cocktail ingredients without ice to allow the foam to begin forming. Then, shake the cocktail again, but this time with ice. The second shake with ice gets the drink cold and strengthens the foam.
More Cocktail Recipes
If you enjoyed this creative cocktail, try some of my other favorite drink recipes:
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Lavender Lemon Pisco Sour Cocktail
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Lavender Simple Syrup
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
For the Pisco Sour
- 4 ounces pisco
- 2 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ounce lavender simple syrup
- 2 large egg whites
- thin lemon slices for garnish
- dried lavender flowers for garnish
Instructions
For the Lavender Simple Syrup
- Add sugar, dried lavender flowers, and 1 cup of water to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved, about 2 - 4 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, and allow the mixture to cool for about 30 minutes until it has stopped steaming. Taste to see if the lavender flavor is strong enough for your personal liking. If the flavor is not strong enough, allow the lavender flowers to steep for an extra 30 - 60 minutes until the desired taste is achieved.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour the mixture into the strainer to separate the simple syrup from the lavender flowers. Transfer to a clean reusable bottle and seal tightly with a lid.
For the Pisco Sour
- Add pisco, lemon juice, lavender simple syrup, and egg whites to a cocktail shaker. Dry shake (without ice) vigorously for 30 seconds.
- Add in a handful of ice, and shake again until well-chilled.
- Strain the cocktail with a hawthorne strainer into a chilled lowball glass. Gently garnish with a thin slice of lemon and dried lavender flower.
Jonah
I love a good cocktail with lemon, and this one did not disappoint. We didn't take time to make the lavender simple syrup, but it still turned out wonderfully!