Our Keto Pisco Sour is a delightful balance between sweet and sour flavors, topped with a creamy foam of egg white, and garnished with bitters. We use pisco, a grape-based brandy, our truvia simple syrup, freshly-squeezed lime juice, and pasteurized egg whites to create this refreshing and delicious 3 net carb cocktail.

In June of 2015, my two sisters, their husbands, and Mike and I, traveled to Peru on a budget-friendly excursion. We landed in Lima, a bit jet-lagged, and found a charming family-owned restaurant to grab a bite of lunch. At the top of the menu – a pisco sour cocktail. Both Peru and Chile claim the pisco sour as their national drink, but our server proudly stated that Peruvian pisco sours are the original! They used only Peruvian pisco, and add egg white for its distinctive foamy top. Evidently, there remains an ongoing dispute between Peru and Chile over its origin, but historians generally agree that the cocktail was invented in the early 1900’s by an American bartender, Victor Vaughen Morris. It was later in the 1920’s when the egg white and bitters were added. I was concerned that they used raw egg white to create the foamy top layer, but my food scientist husband assured us that the risk of contracting salmonella was minimal. So we all drank down the luscious drink with no ill-effects.

The next day we headed south to Cusco. At an elevation of 11,000 feet above sea level, we were a little concerned about getting elevation sickness, but it wasn’t until a few hours later when we visited an indigenous village at an elevation of over 14,000 feet, when it struck a few of us hard. Went too high, too fast. They served us traditional Peruvian cuisine, and in my elevational-fogged brain, didn’t realize I was about to put a fork-full of roasted guinea pig in my mouth. My husband, Mike, knowing full-well I’d want to know, alerted me to the source of the protein on my plate. Unlike my husband, who has eaten scorpions, snake, dog meat, etc., on his many visits to China, I’m not an adventurous eater. I passed on the guinea pig.

Back to the cocktail. Pisco is a smooth, delicate, clear to light amber brandy. Its proof is in the mid-80’s, similar to gin, tequila, and vodka. We use Pisco Porton (readily available in the US), which contains notes of citrus, herbs, and orange blossoms, a perfect partner with freshly-squeezed lime juice. The egg whites, either pasteurized or raw, provide a smooth and silky texture to this cocktail, without imparting any additional flavor. And who can argue with the visual beauty of orange color bitters atop a white cloud of foam?

Start by placing pisco, our truvia simple syrup (zero carbs), freshly-squeezed lime juce, pasteurized egg whites (or if you’re brave, the whites of two fresh large eggs), and ice into a Boston or Cobbler shaker. Shake vigorously for about 20 seconds. Next, remove the ice by filtering the cocktail through a strainer. Discard ice. Return cocktail to shaker and agitate about 5 seconds more. Pour into two glasses (Nick and Nora, Old-Fashioned, martini, or whatever you’ve got) and sprinkle the Angostura bitters on top. As they say in Peru, Kawsaypac! Cheers to life, and to good health!