Pisco Cocktails

18 drinks · Updated October 2026

Pisco is a grape brandy made in Peru and Chile by distilling wine. Peruvian pisco is distilled to proof and rested without wood, so it is never wood-aged; Chilean pisco may be aged in wood. Grape varieties and production rules differ between the two countries. In cocktails, pisco contributes grape-derived fruit and floral character rather than the oak flavors associated with many aged brandies. The Pisco Sour combines pisco, citrus, sugar and, in the Peruvian style, egg white and bitters. The Pisco Punch is the other best-known classic here, associated with pineapple and nineteenth-century San Francisco.

• El Capitán

  Classic (Peru); this version by Nico Vera, Pisco Trail, San Francisco (2018)

  1 oz Pisco 0.5 oz Sweet vermouth 0.5 oz Dry vermouth 1 dash Angostura bitters

• Pisco Punch

  Duncan Nicol, Bank Exchange, San Francisco (1890s)

  3 Cloves 0.5 oz Simple syrup 2 oz Pisco 0.75 oz Pineapple juice 0.5 oz Lemon juice 1 oz Dry white wine

• Pisco Sour

  Victor Morris, Morris' Bar, Lima (1920s)

  2 oz Pisco 0.5 oz Lemon juice 0.5 oz Lime juice 0.75 oz Simple syrup 1 Egg white

• Carina Carina

  Jaz'min Weaver, Castalia, Detroit (2018)

  1.5 oz Pisco 0.5 oz Lemon juice 0.75 oz Chai-infused orange juice 0.75 oz Caramelized simple syrup (1:1) 0.5 oz Egg white 1 g Coriander-cardamom-nutmeg tincture (optional)

• Truly Scrumptious

  Trevor Easter, The Snug, Sacramento (2022)

  1 oz Pisco 0.75 oz Lime juice 0.75 oz Pineapple gum syrup 0.5 oz Pear eau-de-vie

• Foreign Exchange

  Caleb Landry and Adam Sousa, Blyth & Burrows, Portland, Maine (2023)

  2 oz Pisco 1 oz Lemon juice 2 oz Miso carrot cordial 1 oz Soda water

• Danger Stranger

  James Keiser, The Wild, Denver (2021)

  1.5 oz Pisco 0.5 oz Mezcal 1 oz Orange cream soda syrup (1:1) 1 oz Lemon juice 0.75 oz Aquafaba (or 1 egg white)

• Devil in the Moonlight

  Justin Burnell, Drastic Measures, Shawnee, Kansas (2023)

  1 oz Mango-infused pisco 0.75 oz Lemon juice 0.5 oz Gin 0.5 oz Cocchi Americano 0.5 oz Cinnamon syrup (4:3)

• The Laotong

  Jeremy Buck, Coterie, Charleston, South Carolina (2023)

  1.75 oz Chamomile-infused pisco 2 oz Strawberry-tomato shrub 1 oz Soda water

• The Peruvian

  John Robinson, The Hive, Bentonville, Arkansas (2020)

  2 oz Pisco 1 oz Yellow Chartreuse 0.25 oz Lillet Blanc 1 Orange peel

• Summer of Love Punch

  Clint Spotleson, Eden Rooftop Bar, Phoenix (2023)

  8 oz Pisco 1 oz Grapefruit liqueur 4 oz Lime juice 6 oz Lavender syrup (1:1) 10 oz Rosé wine

• Benedetto Alfieri

  Chris Wolfe, Anjou, Cincinnati (2023)

  0.75 oz Pisco 0.75 oz Red bell pepper juice 0.5 oz Gin 0.5 oz Lemon juice 0.5 oz Shallot syrup (1:1) 0.33 oz Yellow Chartreuse 0.33 oz Campari 2 Basil leaves

• Monterey Park Lychee Martini

  Han Suk Cho, Kato, Los Angeles (2023)

  2 tbsp Almond jello 1 oz Elderflower liqueur 0.75 oz Lychee purée 0.5 oz Lime juice 0.5 oz Plain yogurt 0.5 oz Pisco 0.25 oz Jamaican rum 0.25 oz Rhum agricole 4 dashes Angostura bitters 4 dashes Orange bitters

• Chirulín

  Tatiana Flores, Lima

  2 oz Acholado pisco 1.5 oz Pink grapefruit juice 0.5 oz Cinnamon demerara syrup 0.25 oz Lime juice

• Pisco Bee's Knees

  Leishla Maldonado, Loma, Providence (2025)

  2 oz Pisco 0.75 oz Honey syrup (2:1) 0.75 oz Lemon juice

• Hearts on Fire

  Courtney Sheehan, Death & Co, Denver (2024)

  1 oz Pisco (aged) 0.5 oz Vodka 0.25 oz Bergamot liqueur 0.25 oz Red verjus 0.5 oz Grenadine 0.5 oz Lemon juice 1 Egg white

• Maggie Smith

  Joaquín Simó, Death & Co, New York (2009)

  1 oz Pisco 1 oz White rum 0.5 oz Orange liqueur 0.75 oz Lime juice 0.25 oz Orgeat 1 tsp Honey syrup (2:1)

• Firecracker

  Ivan Radulovic, Macao Trading Co., New York

  1.5 oz Pisco 0.5 oz Crema de mezcal 0.5 oz Lime juice 1 oz Pineapple juice 2 tsp Allspice dram 2 tsp Agave syrup