Pisco Sour Nikkei
Without question, the Pisco Sour is my favorite cocktail. I tell my friends that it is for sentimental reasons, but what I am really referring to is that I had my first Pisco Sour when I was 10 years old. And whether we are celebrating National Pisco Sour Day on the first Saturday of February or not, I often find myself experimenting with Pisco Sour variations.
Past Pisco Lab sessions used ingredients such as habaneros, yerba mate, or orange marmalade. My visits to New Orleans inspired the Mardi Gras variation, and more recently, I’ve paid homage to the Chinese and Japanese cultures that are part of Peru via the Tusan, Sumac, and Sakura Sours. This year, my inspiration lead me back to Japan, and the Nikkei culture of Peru.
Presenting, the Pisco Sour Nikkei, Pisco infused with toasted nori seaweed, lime, syrup, egg white, and garnished with a nori strip and drops of sillao. Here’s what you need to drink umami from a glass.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 oz. Pisco Encanto Acholado infused with toasted nori
- 1 oz. lime juice
- 1 oz. simple syrup
- 1 oz. egg white
- nori strip, and 3 drops sillao for garnish
PREPARATION
Combine the Pisco, lime juice, syrup, and egg white in a shaker. Add 4 ice cubes and shake vigorously to create a creamy foam. Strain into another shaker and blend for 15 seconds with an immersion blender. Pour into a wood sake cup and garnish with a nori strip and 3 drops of sillao.
SERVINGS
1 serving
NOTES
To make the Pisco maceration, I used a Sansaire sous vide machine and an 8 oz. mason jar filled to the brim with 1 cup of Encanto Acholado Pisco and 2 grams toasted nori seaweed. The sealed jar was submerged in a water bath at room temperature, and the target temperature was set to 75°C. Once the target temperature was reached, I carefully removed the jar from the bath. After letting it cool, I opened the jar, strained the Pisco into another airtight jar, and discarded the seaweed.
To make the simple syrup, mix 1 cup cane sugar with 1 cup water in a small pot, and heat the mixture, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Pour into a mason jar and let cool before using.
I picked up the toasted nori sheets at my local market, and used a scissor to cut them into smaller pieces to fit into the mason jar, and into small strips for the garnish. Sillao is what Peruvians call soy sauce, and is used as an additional savory ingredient instead of Angostura bitters.