Pisco Sour Catedral, a history to be served and enjoyed

Every great cocktail is born of chance. As part of the National Pisco Sour Day that is celebrated every year, we will let you know about the recipe that was created based on Peru's flagship drink: the “Pisco Sour Catedral”. Its history has several versions, but all of them are born from the inspiration of a bartender or a customer's request, and the imposing Pisco.

The creation of the Pisco Sour was a milestone in Peru. On April 1, 1916, at the Morris Bar in Lima, capital of the country, the owner, Victor Morris, created this recipe that was inspired by the whiskey sour. Some time later, its preparation became popular among the public, as well as in the city's bars.

One of these places was the English Bar of the Gran Hotel Bolivar, in downtown Lima, where aristocrats, writers, diplomats, among other national and foreign personalities used to go. It was a cultural point of endless anecdotes. It is here where, decades after the first recipe for Peru's emblematic drink, the “Pisco Sour Catedral" became popular. "There are several stories, and one of them is that of Augusto Wiese, owner of the Gran Hotel Bolivar," says bartender Roberto Melendez, one of the main prominent figures about Pisco in Peru.

Meléndez says that Mr. Augusto Wiese always accompanied his family to Sunday masses at the Lima Cathedral. Hours before the religious ceremony, the businessman would arrive at the English Bar and ask for a Pisco Sour. "At one point, he requested that it be prepared in a larger glass, not in the traditional ones," Meléndez explains. The barman agreed to the request, which had a larger than usual measure of Pisco.

"There were 06 ounces of pure Quebranta Pisco, compared to the 04 ounces in the Pisco Sour. It was a preparation of that moment, of the bartender's ingenuity and of Mr. Wiese's request", Meléndez continues. Thus, every time Mr. Augusto arrived at the English Bar, the bartender knew that he would ask for a "Pisco Sour Catedral", in reference to the place where he was going.

Over the years, many visitors came to Lima to taste this impressive drink, which was served in a glass three times the size of the Pisco Sour. "Many diners also ordered this “Pisco Sour Catedral” because they heard stories that John Wayne or Clarke Gable used to drink it in the past," Meléndez concludes.

On the National Pisco Sour Day, there is a drink that challenges drinkers and invites them to continue cultivating the Pisco culture.

Hollywood is dazzled by the Pisco Sour Catedral

From Orson Welles to John Wayne and Clarke Gable. Several of the most important exponents of the golden age of Hollywood cinema were amazed by the Pisco Sour Catedral, for its size, flavor and elegance. According to researcher José Antonio Schiaffino, this Peruvian cocktail, as well as the Pisco Sour, conquered dozens of actors, singers, film directors, among other characters linked to the seventh art.

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