The Paddington Sour
Though I learned to cook Peruvian food from my mom, there were 3 things my dad is responsible for: preparing home-made orange marmalade for breakfast, making the best hot-chocolate for our Xmas Panettone, and serving me my first Pisco sour when I was 10 years old. So it’s no surprise that when I was experimenting with using jams and marmalade to prepare Pisco cocktails, I thought of my dad.
First, I started out using a raspberry and pomegranate jam as the main ingredient, but doing some research on the subject lead me to a recipe from Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans — a Pisco cocktail with orange marmalade. Inspired by what I found, I came up with my own version and used egg whites and Angostura bitters in addition to the orange marmalade and lemon juice.
Presenting, The Paddington Sour, named after Paddington Bear who journeyed to England from “deepest, darkest Peru” and always carried an orange marmalade sandwich in case of emergencies. While enjoying this very quaffable cocktail, I was delighted by all the connections: Pisco is from Peru, Paddington Bear is from Peru, marmalade was first made with oranges from Spain, Pisco was first made with grapes from Spain…
For the Pisco, I’ve used a Quebranta varietal but also really enjoy it with the Acholado by Campo de Encanto. For the orange marmalade, I was happy to find a jar with a wonderful history — orange marmalade made in the UK since the 18th century using Seville oranges. Now I have some orange marmalade left over to make a sandwich or another Paddington Pisco, in case of emergencies.
A special thanks to my dad for making that delicious orange marmalade many years ago and introducing me to the Pisco Sour, now I can celebrate those wonderful occasions by toasting with a Paddington Sour — ¡Salud!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 oz. Pisco
- 1 oz. lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
- 1 oz. egg white
- ice
- Angostura bitters
PREPARATION
Mix the Pisco, lemon juice, egg white, and orange marmalade in a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for 1 minute. Serve strained in a champagne coupe and garnish with 3 drops of Angostura bitters.
SERVINGS
1 very quaffable serving.
NOTES
When squeezing the lemon juice, use a strainer to catch any seeds. Check the ingredients in the orange marmalade before using, some have grape juice or extra sweeteners that can alter the flavor profile, for that reason I recommend marmalade made with Seville oranges and sugar. Orange marmalade will have some bits of orange peel, and those will add extra flavor and texture to the cocktail.