Chef Diego Muñoz of New York’s Popular and Cantina & Pisco Bar asked his bar team to play with both temperature and texture, resulting in the Pisco Sour Brûlée. Built on the blueprint of a traditional Pisco Sour, the drink gets a dessert-like boost from vanilla cardamom cordial, as well as torched caster sugar, which sits atop the cocktail’s fluffy egg white foam. Muñoz says the key to nailing this recipe is being mindful of the added dilution and carbonation, and therefore using an immersion blender or hand whisk rather than a cocktail shaker to create its foamy peaks.
Pisco Sour Brûlée
Cantina & Pisco Bar at the Public Hotel | New York City
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 2 ounces pisco acholado
- 3/4 ounce Vanilla Cardamom Cordial (See Editor's Note)
- 3/4 ounce lime juice
- 3/4 ounce egg white
- 1 ounce club soda
Garnish: 1 orange peel, caster sugar
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin and blend with an immersion blender until very frothy.
- Add one large, tempered cube of ice and shake until very cold.
- Remove the ice with tongs and pour to the rim-level of a sour or coupe glass.
- Express the orange peel to flatten the bubbles, and gently add the remainder of the drink and foam from the tin to create a shallow domed top to the drink.
- Dust evenly with caster sugar, then torch with a handheld blowtorch, starting in the center and working around to the rim.
Editor's Note
Vanilla Cardamom Cordial
Use a handheld blowtorch to quickly torch 1 small vanilla bean. Split it open vertically, and scrape out its seeds, setting the pod aside. In a pan over high heat, toast 10 cracked cardamom pods until aromatic. Add 900ml 1:1 simple syrup to the pan, followed by the vanilla bean, nd bring the liquid up to a simmer. Strain and cool the cordial before using. Keep refrigerated and store 1 to 2 weeks.