Talk about DROOL WORTHY. There’s few things as refreshing as a Pisco Sour and it’s a great summer imbibe. Today I’m shaking up a Canadian twist by adding Haskap Berries to the mix. This unique lime sour is everything you’d hope for and more with a #DrinkYourGram result, so lets start mixing!
If you’re new to the #DrinkYourGram concept, it was a way for me to connect with my audience on Instagram and have you vote for what YOU’D like to create at home. Since I started #DrinkYourGram in 2020, I’ve created some of my favourite cocktails PERIOD and I have all of you to thank. For this week, I asked you what you had in your fridge, or anything in excess so I could help clear out your fridge and bar! Curious about the results? Well, here were your votes:
I want my cocktail served to me in a
Coupe Glass 51% vs Rocks Glass
My citrus of choice is
Lime Juice 52% vs Lemon Juice
Tell me what you have too much of in your fridge!
Eggs Won (vs Peaches, Berries, Mustard)
It’s funny, I put down mustard with no clue if I could make something work, but I was determined. Also, random discovery in the kitchen, mustard and mango go VERY well together, so that likely would have been my direction.
With the results provided, it was clear that people were craving a Sour, and with Pisco Week going down next month here in Canada, Pisco has been on my mind and I thought, hey let’s get creative with a Canadian Twist.
Berries
You may have heard my rant around Haskap Berries in my socials. I’m obsessed with this berry, and it’s so uniquely Canadian, but so few of us know of it! If I had to describe the taste, it’s a combination of black currant, raspberries with Honey Crisp Apples. It’s MAGICAL if that description didn’t get you drooling, I don’t know what will. Now for this recipe, I made it into a quick syrup that was easy, and I was lucky to have a ton of frozen Haskap berries available. This is the thing, this recipe is flexible. Say you have a ton of Strawberries that’s about to go ripe. Well substitute the same amount with Strawberries instead! Maybe you have blueberries? That’s fine. Just adjust the sweetness slightly, as you’ll likely need less sugar than if you were to switch out to Strawberries. PS, if you’re on the hunt for Haskap Berries, I have been lucky to find some at Metro in the frozen section.
Why Pisco?
Better question is, WHY NOT? My love for Pisco exploded after an amazing trip to the Pisco Porton distillery. It’s such a unique spirit coming from Peru and Chile, and for those of you new to this category, it’s a grape-based alcohol. To compare it to vodka is an understatement. If anything, I find it closer to an Rhum Agricole with a softer, floral side. But then again, all piscos are different.
Now I always like to be reasonable here and provide you with options. If you don’t have some DECENT pisco at home (key word being DECENT), you can substitute many clear spirits here. Shochu, Cachaca, Vodka, Blanco Tequila and so much more. But like I said, if you haven’t given Pisco a try, it’s a must.
Eggs
When it came to your votes, a lot of you had eggs in the house, and funny enough…so did I. With my recent move, there were certain essentials that we forgot we had stocked in the other fridge, so THANK YOU for the convenient vote! Now this recipe calls for simple egg whites. There are cocktail recipes that use a whole egg, but it wasn’t the direction I was going for with this creation.
If you’re curious about the do’s and don’t when it comes to shaking up eggs with cocktails, I highly recommend reading Difford’s guide on Do’s and Don’t’s with Eggs!
Haskap Berry Lime Pisco Sour
Shake up an easy Pisco Sour that has a Canadian influence.
– Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Quality Peruvian Pisco La Caravedo used here
- 1 oz Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
- 1 oz Haskap Berry Syrup **
- 1 Egg White
- 1 dash Peychaud Bitters
Instructions
Add all your ingredients into a shaker and give it a vigorous dry shake (without ice).
Open up your shaker and add ice. Shake once more until the shaker is extremely cold to the touch.
Strain into your favourite coupe glass.
Recipe Notes
** To make the Haskap Berry Syrup at home, it’s fairly simple. This recipe is good for 6 cocktails – 1 cup Frozen Haskap Berries, 1 cup granulated sugar with 1/4 cup Water. Put these ingredients into a small saucepan and let it come to a boil and simmer for 5 – 8 minutes (you want the texture to be slightly thick). Press the haskap with the back of a spoon to extract as much of the flavour and strain.
Warning – Haskap stains…
