One advantage I have in my career – and believe me, I thank my lucky stars every day for my good fortune in this regard – is that I travel a lot. And when I do travel, I get to visit the greatest bars in the world and spend time picking the brains of the world’s greatest bartenders.
The most recent drink to grace our cocktail list is the result of my travels.
Taking inspiration from many sources, my initial interest in bitter, sour and sweet with a distinctly tropical bent was taken directly from the ever-brilliant Giuseppe Gonzalez and his now-famous Trinidad Sour.
While I, and the rest of the world, was taken by the combination of bitter, herbal, sweet flavors, it never really struck me as a an extensible sort of drink style until I came across Andrew Bohrer’s amaro-based Mai Tai variation called the “Elena’s Virtue”. Now here was a drink with legs, and a hint of what was to come in the world of cocktails, in my humble opinion.
But what New York and Seattle do well, San Francisco often does better, and usually with a lot more Fernet Branca, and that’s the conversation I had with Josh Harris while competing in the Domaine de Canton finals in St. Maarten this spring. And after tasting his simple concoction of ginger liqueur, pineapple and Fernet Branca I knew it was time for me to get my feet wet and try my hand at the herbal tropical sour.
The result has been a smash hit at the bar, as it very much follows in the style of our restaurant bar, a reflection of the crafted European style of cooking that emerges from the kitchen on a nightly basis. In other words, earthy, sour, herbal flavors do very, very well where we work.
Put all of this together, throw in a desire to explore the dusty, neglected bottle of Drambuie, and an early morning racking one’s brain to come up with a drink name (the original intent was Brixton Club) and a star was born:
Kingston Club
1½ oz Drambuie
1½ oz pineapple juice
¾ oz lime juice
1 tsp Fernet Branca
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake ingredients with ice and finish with 1 oz soda water. Strain mix over fresh ice into a chilled collins glass and garnish with an orange twist.
A side project, an experiment or just a simple curiosity that turned into a delicious phenomenon that we're still serving to much delight at our bar, barrel aged cocktails explore the gentle manipulation of a drink's flavors over time. This post details the inspiration, the history and the methods behind my barrel aged cocktails.
My problem with homemade tonic water has always been a flavor profile that was too esoteric for the general audience. This recipe takes some of the positive qualities people have come to understand from commercial tonic water and updated them with fresh ingredients.
Turned off by the glop you find in the grocery store, and unable to endure another long egg and cream whipping session, I set out to build an egg nog recipe from the ground up that retained the character of the orginal formula, was easy to make in a few minutes at home or at the bar, and tasted absolutely delicious. See if you agree with the result.
One question I'm often asked is "Do you have any drink-related book recommendations?" Well, funny you should ask, I've compiled a list of the ten books every professional bartender or home mixologist should own. I keep every one of these close at hand and have read most of them several times. I suggest you do the same.
The problem with living in Oregon is the absence of little wooden shacks by the sea that sell cases of fresh ginger beer stacked on back porches. But with some readily-available ingredients, a recipe I've been revising for several years - and a few free minutes - I can easily transport myself to a little fishing boat on the ocean as I sip a Dark and Stormy made with fresh, house-made ginger beer.
It's always mojito season somewhere, so this advice is timely in your area about half the year. Wether you're making them or simply enjoying them, this advice will help you look like a pro in no time at all.
The flavors of the Richmond Gimlet are imbued with sunshine. Fresh mint mingling with the herbaceousness of gin and the tartness of lime have made this drink a Eugene classic for many years now.
You'll get a lot of snarky advice on this site about how to make a proper drink, but if you ever need to know what not to do, this is the video for you.
Not to be confused with the Spanish wine-and-fruit-based alcoholic beverage sangria, sangrita (meaning "little blood") is a traditional accompaniment to a tequila served completo; a non-alcoholic sipper that cleanses the palate between fiery doses of agave.
The world of booze can be mystifying to people that don't work in bars or around alcohol all the time. I hear a lot of assumptions about the industry I'm in that are - much like 90% of what you hear in bars - completely false. Here are a few you've probably heard yourself.
The traditional garnish for a Pisco Sour is a couple of drops of bitters in the foam, but I've never been particularly impressed with the way these few paltry drops of bitters sat in their little egg-white mattress and didn't play along with the rest of the drink. I envisioned a Pisco Sour with a uniformly-distributed bitters-scorched foam: slightly crisp as the fire burnt the sugars, and slightly warm as the foam insulated the rest of the frosty cocktail from the heat. A pisco creme brulée in a glass!
I get so many visitors looking for tips on how to write a bartending resume that I thought I should finally post a tutorial on how to write your own. Click the headline to read more.
I always love showing up to a party with a gallon jug of pre-mixed margaritas, so I've decided to share my recipe. This margarita recipe is the perfect blend of strong, sweet, and sour. But be warned: this recipe packs a serious punch.
There isn't much I can say about this video that hasn't been said already. If you've read anything I've written about cocktails, you'll understand why this video symbolizes everything wrong with the state of bartending in America today. Watch and learn, but be warned: this one isn't for the feint of heart.
About Me
My name is Jeff Morgenthaler and I'm the head bartender at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.
I've been tending bar since 1996 and writing about it since 2004. Mixing drinks has become something of a passion for me in recent years, and I strive to elevate the experience of having a drink from something mundane to something more culinary.
The writing I do here is intended as a work in progress. My recipes are like my opinions: they are constantly being revised and refined as I work them through my mind and my fingers. Comments and participation are encouraged, so please don't feel the need to tread lightly here.
I’m a big fan of Jamie Boudreau’s website Spirits and Cocktails. The writing is engaging, the photography is brilliant, and his techniques push the boundaries of mixology. So when I read about how Jamie would brulée brandied cherries with a
You see, a Pisco Sour is made with egg white, and shaking the hell out of the drink creates a thick, foamy head on the cocktail. And while the traditional garnish for a Pisco Sour is a couple of drops of bitters in the foam, but I’ve never been particularly impressed with the way these few paltry drops of bitters sat in their little egg-white mattress and didn’t play along with the rest of the drink.
So when I read about Jamie taking the old Angostura flamethrower to his drinks, I envisioned a Pisco Sour with a uniformly-distributed bitters-scorched foam: slightly crisp as the fire burnt the sugars, and slightly warm as the foam insulated the rest of the frosty cocktail from the heat. A pisco creme brulée in a glass!
Although I had some great test-runs with the 151, I was missing the intensity I was looking for. Jamie wrote and suggested I try Stroh 80, which is 160-proof rum that has a distinct aroma of butterscotch and packs a wallop of alcoholic punch which is well-suited to lighting things on fire (thanks, Jamie!)
Anyway, I won’t bother you with a Pisco Sour recipe at this time, especially since so many others have written about such matters more eloquently than I could hope to do. What I’m going to do is show you how I scorch my Pisco Sour foam. And yes, this is on the menu at El Vaquero.
First off, grab yourself a Misto. You can find them just about anywhere you find kitchen supplies. And don’t get the vermouth sprayer, get yourself the Big Boy.
Next, fill your Misto with two ounces of Angostura bitters and two ounces of Stroh 80 rum. Cap your Misto and shake to mix the two ingredients. Pump your sprayer full of air and get ready to get pyrotechnic.
** Disclaimer: You’re about to spray a stream of flammable liquid toward an open flame. Be careful, and don’t point it at anyone or anything other than the cocktail. You could seriously harm yourself or others, so don’t be a dick.
Light a match or strike up a lighter about 4 inches from the top of your already-prepared Pisco Sour. Carefully spray your
When you’re done, the foam should look something like this:
The fire will really open up the aromatics in the Anogstura, and when served immediately, the foam will be a real treat for the senses. It’s been a big hit at the bar these past few weeks, so grab a Misto and try it for yourself!
Comments
28 Responses to “How to Make an Angostura-Scorched Pisco Sour”
I’ve wanted to do something similar since I read about Baristas serving coffee drinks with bruleed foam toppings. Why should coffee jerks get all the fun?
Using the Angostura flamethrower on a Pisco Sour is genius!
You are killing me! I ran up to the Golden Gate Bridge, and I threw my boston shaker into the San Francisco Bay. I quit. THIS is the coolest thing I have ever seen.
I like fire as much as the next guy, Jeffrey, but I do think that, as cool as this is, it misses the point of the bitters in the Pisco Sour. The way I see it, it’s all about aromatic subtlety, with the few drops of bitters providing an olfactory addition to the flavour of the drink. And since we all taste more with our sense of smell than we do with our actual tastebuds, the bitters are playing with the rest of the drink, just in a different manner than if they were shaken into the Sour.
Or to put it all in beer terms, the traditional Pisco Sour is a dry-hopped British best bitter, while your creme brulée version is a west coast IPA.
First things first, the bitters of a Pisco sour should always be on TOP of the sour, not mixed within. The reason for this is as Stephen says; olfactory pleasure. Passing angostura through flame (or cooking any Indian spices)really enhances it’s aroma and flavor, therefore acheiving in a more effecient manner the perfumed purpose of bitters in a Pisco Sour.
Jeffrey, try using the “brulee” with “molecular” foams as well. They actually brulee, and you have the addition of aromatized bitters as well as a “cooked” foam, which adds more aroma but also slightly changes the flavor of the foam. I use to do this a couple of years back when I was at Lumiere, to fantastic effect.
Now, that, is f’ing brilliant. Thanks for trying out the technique, and I’m glad you guys are enjoying it. I might have to come hang out at the Bellagio sooner than February!
Cheers,
Jeff
31 Aug 2007 at 5:19 PM 15. Ali
I really need to spend more time reading your articles.
As you know I like anything that adds a little flair behind the bar!
This is a good one.
02 Sep 2007 at 3:47 AM 16. John Claude
We’re getting Pisco and Stroh in our next liquor order and I just bought a Misto off of Amazon. Can’t wait to pull this one out on the patrons.
Very cool. Tried it out last night. My pisco sour recipe needs some adjustment, but the scorched top was a treat. Thanks for posting!
13 Sep 2007 at 2:40 PM 18. Keith
I just picked up a Misto to try this as well. How much would you like to wager there was a distict spike in Misto sales after you posted this GENIUS idea?
I tried this with the Pisco and with one of my own drinks that has a Campari and Strawberry honey foam and it was nice..real nice, but i haven`t yet managed to get that nice pattern on the foam as you have. I more get a bruleed color..maybe i should burn a bit closer? or use a different spirit,i used Angostura and LH 151.
Tiare – I got the flamethrower idea from Jamie B., he recommended using Stroh 80 for a little extra heat.
09 Mar 2009 at 1:15 PM 22. Derek
Would love to try it, but a bit concerned about the danger factor. anyone think it would be less risky to use just a regular, non-pressurized, sprayer? Would this reduce the effectiveness of the technique?
Derek – While I can’t speak for the safety of either method, I can say that I’d imagine it to be equally effective. Give it a shot and let us know.
16 Mar 2009 at 2:03 PM 24. Derek
Am i reading this right? 2oz of bitters? Isn’t that like half the bottle? Looking forward to trying this (just realized I still have an unopened misto i got as a gift 5 years ago), but wanted to double check this before I empty the entire bottle, drop by drop.
BTW, was great to meet you! (We stopped by Clyde Common friday night, visiting from SF. After trying your richmond gimlet, that’s all my friends ordered the rest of the night!)
18 Mar 2009 at 11:58 PM 25. Jeff Whitmore
Ok I’ve read your blog for a while now and now my wife and I are coming down to see if you mix as well as you write…I think one of these scorched pisco sours will suite her just fine. Looking forward to the event!
Hey Jeffrey,
I really enjoy your site! You inspired me as well as all the others here and your scorched PS is really nice. Thank you for inspiration and keep up the good work. :-) J
19 Aug 2010 at 1:21 PM 27. Jason
here is the problem: there are things called torches that are specially designed to keep the flame out front. I am pretty sure, but not certain, that you are taking some risk that the flame could get sucked back into your mister, transforming it into something like a grenade.
16 Jun 2011 at 2:35 PM 28. David Michalowski
The flame is a cool touch. I also put Angostura in a cosmetic spray bottle mister and have layered the foam with a fine mist of the bitters. It works great, opens up the aromatics as well, and leaves a very evenly coated foam with the sweet/spicy flavors. Here is the link to the cheap/effective spray bottles:
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19 Aug 2007 at 11:41 AM 1. erik_flannestad
Goddamn!
Nice one!
I’ve wanted to do something similar since I read about Baristas serving coffee drinks with bruleed foam toppings. Why should coffee jerks get all the fun?
Using the Angostura flamethrower on a Pisco Sour is genius!
19 Aug 2007 at 3:54 PM 2. McAuliflower
Great picture! I’m trying not to think of how fire likes to run up its fuel source…
19 Aug 2007 at 4:39 PM 3. Dan
It’s things like this that make me want to become a bartender.
Awesome.
19 Aug 2007 at 11:32 PM 4. Jimmy
You are killing me! I ran up to the Golden Gate Bridge, and I threw my boston shaker into the San Francisco Bay. I quit. THIS is the coolest thing I have ever seen.
20 Aug 2007 at 5:37 AM 5. Stephen Beaumont
I like fire as much as the next guy, Jeffrey, but I do think that, as cool as this is, it misses the point of the bitters in the Pisco Sour. The way I see it, it’s all about aromatic subtlety, with the few drops of bitters providing an olfactory addition to the flavour of the drink. And since we all taste more with our sense of smell than we do with our actual tastebuds, the bitters are playing with the rest of the drink, just in a different manner than if they were shaken into the Sour.
Or to put it all in beer terms, the traditional Pisco Sour is a dry-hopped British best bitter, while your creme brulée version is a west coast IPA.
20 Aug 2007 at 8:08 AM 6. Jimmy
Ha! Stephen, you obviously DON’T like fire as much as the next guy.
20 Aug 2007 at 3:06 PM 7. Jamie Boudreau
First things first, the bitters of a Pisco sour should always be on TOP of the sour, not mixed within. The reason for this is as Stephen says; olfactory pleasure. Passing angostura through flame (or cooking any Indian spices)really enhances it’s aroma and flavor, therefore acheiving in a more effecient manner the perfumed purpose of bitters in a Pisco Sour.
Jeffrey, try using the “brulee” with “molecular” foams as well. They actually brulee, and you have the addition of aromatized bitters as well as a “cooked” foam, which adds more aroma but also slightly changes the flavor of the foam. I use to do this a couple of years back when I was at Lumiere, to fantastic effect.
20 Aug 2007 at 3:20 PM 8. Marleigh
Oh man. That is SO COOL.
21 Aug 2007 at 12:29 PM 9. Jeffrey
Jamie
I think I saw an iSi whipper in the pantry kitchen recently, so I’m going to give this a try sometime this week.
Thanks!
21 Aug 2007 at 5:21 PM 10. Sean Bigley
FUCKING BRILLIANT!
I can’t wait to try it myself.
Cheers!
22 Aug 2007 at 12:20 AM 11. Jeffrey
HAHAHAHA!
Thanks, Sean!!
23 Aug 2007 at 1:34 AM 12. Churba
I’ll be thieving that one for home use, but illegal to make flaming drinks in Queensland Bars, unfortunately, so no work shenanigans.
25 Aug 2007 at 9:25 AM 13. Lisa Bigley
Since I won’t use Sean’s language (ha-ha) and you made me go shopping (yeah, right) for a Misto…this was still beyond incredible!
Sean was making these last night at Bellagio and it blew us away! Now I can’t drink a Pisco Sour any other way.
Gee, thanks Jeff!
p.s. This is going to show up on our website too!
26 Aug 2007 at 12:47 AM 14. Jeffrey
Lisa
Now, that, is f’ing brilliant. Thanks for trying out the technique, and I’m glad you guys are enjoying it. I might have to come hang out at the Bellagio sooner than February!
Cheers,
Jeff
31 Aug 2007 at 5:19 PM 15. Ali
I really need to spend more time reading your articles.
As you know I like anything that adds a little flair behind the bar!
This is a good one.
02 Sep 2007 at 3:47 AM 16. John Claude
We’re getting Pisco and Stroh in our next liquor order and I just bought a Misto off of Amazon. Can’t wait to pull this one out on the patrons.
10 Sep 2007 at 8:42 AM 17. Jacob Grier
Very cool. Tried it out last night. My pisco sour recipe needs some adjustment, but the scorched top was a treat. Thanks for posting!
13 Sep 2007 at 2:40 PM 18. Keith
I just picked up a Misto to try this as well. How much would you like to wager there was a distict spike in Misto sales after you posted this GENIUS idea?
Keep up the good work.
13 Sep 2007 at 2:42 PM 19. Jeffrey
Awwww, thanks, Keith! Maybe I should approach the fine folks at Misto to talk about a sponsorship deal?
11 Jul 2008 at 4:12 PM 20. Tiare
Your idea is just brilliant! and very inspiring.
I tried this with the Pisco and with one of my own drinks that has a Campari and Strawberry honey foam and it was nice..real nice, but i haven`t yet managed to get that nice pattern on the foam as you have. I more get a bruleed color..maybe i should burn a bit closer? or use a different spirit,i used Angostura and LH 151.
12 Jul 2008 at 1:25 PM 21. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Tiare – I got the flamethrower idea from Jamie B., he recommended using Stroh 80 for a little extra heat.
09 Mar 2009 at 1:15 PM 22. Derek
Would love to try it, but a bit concerned about the danger factor. anyone think it would be less risky to use just a regular, non-pressurized, sprayer? Would this reduce the effectiveness of the technique?
09 Mar 2009 at 2:22 PM 23. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Derek – While I can’t speak for the safety of either method, I can say that I’d imagine it to be equally effective. Give it a shot and let us know.
16 Mar 2009 at 2:03 PM 24. Derek
Am i reading this right? 2oz of bitters? Isn’t that like half the bottle? Looking forward to trying this (just realized I still have an unopened misto i got as a gift 5 years ago), but wanted to double check this before I empty the entire bottle, drop by drop.
BTW, was great to meet you! (We stopped by Clyde Common friday night, visiting from SF. After trying your richmond gimlet, that’s all my friends ordered the rest of the night!)
18 Mar 2009 at 11:58 PM 25. Jeff Whitmore
Ok I’ve read your blog for a while now and now my wife and I are coming down to see if you mix as well as you write…I think one of these scorched pisco sours will suite her just fine. Looking forward to the event!
22 May 2009 at 1:09 AM 26. Jan P.
Hey Jeffrey,
I really enjoy your site! You inspired me as well as all the others here and your scorched PS is really nice. Thank you for inspiration and keep up the good work. :-) J
19 Aug 2010 at 1:21 PM 27. Jason
here is the problem: there are things called torches that are specially designed to keep the flame out front. I am pretty sure, but not certain, that you are taking some risk that the flame could get sucked back into your mister, transforming it into something like a grenade.
16 Jun 2011 at 2:35 PM 28. David Michalowski
The flame is a cool touch. I also put Angostura in a cosmetic spray bottle mister and have layered the foam with a fine mist of the bitters. It works great, opens up the aromatics as well, and leaves a very evenly coated foam with the sweet/spicy flavors. Here is the link to the cheap/effective spray bottles:
http://www.amazon.com/Fantasea-Fine-Mist-Spray-Bottle/dp/B000NJHNLW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1308260098&sr=8-3