Pisco Sour with Burnt Lime
“Pisco is a liquor made from distilled wine. Both Peru and Chile claim it as their invention, since pisco was first made by the Spaniards who brought wine grapes to their new colonies. To sidestep this passionate debate, I observe that pisco is basically brandy and that the conquistadores in both countries knew very well how to distill wine. So I will come down firmly in the middle and credit both countries.
“The well-known (in South America) soft drink known as Brazilian lemonade incorporates the whole lime (skin, pith, flesh, and all). My pisco cocktail calls for scorching a lime, which tamps down the bitterness of the rind; less bitter…more better.” —Mallmann
1. Prepare a fire for medium heat. Chill a cocktail glass.
2. Using long-handled tongs or a kitchen fork and wearing an oven mitt, hold the lime over an open flame, rotating it occasionally as it softens and chars in patches. This should take about 5 minutes. Let it cool, then slice off and discard both ends and pare off a piece of lime zest to save for garnish.
3. Place what remains of the whole lime and the pisco, syrup, egg white, and ice cubes in a blender and blend on high until the lime is puréed and the mixture is foamy. Strain into the chilled glass, garnish with the burnt lime zest, and serve.
Excerpted from Green Fire by Francis Mallmann (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022.
Originally featured in Plant-Forward Grilling Recipes from Francis Mallmann’s Green Fire
