National Pisco Sour Day Celebrations Around Peru
Peru’s National Pisco Sour Day is coming up this weekend- as it always falls on the first Saturday of each February, it will fall on Febr0.
We haven’t been able to locate information regarding Cusco’s celebrations, but we’ll definitely be offering special prices at Pirwa Colonial Backpackers’s bar.
Or, if you feel like staying in and testing your bartending skills, take advantage of the guest kitchens available in all of our hostel locations to experiment a bit. Here’s a classic pisco sour preparation for starters:
For 1 large (8oz) cocktail, or 2 small cocktails, mix 3oz of pisco, 1oz of lime juice, 1oz of simple syrup, and 1 egg white in a cocktail shaker. Add ice to fill and shake vigorously, then strain into a glass and sprinkle 2 to 3 drops of Angostura bitters on top of the foam.
Left to Right: Enjoying a drink and checking out the tip jar at the bar in Pirwa Colonial in Cusco, and making Pisco Sours for a crowd at Pirwa Lima during New Year’s Eve.
Lima: This year’s Pisco Sour Festival will 
take place at Alameda Chabuca Granda Park from February 1st through 3rd. There will be free tastings as well as 2 for 1 deals, for the traditional pisco sour as well as for its modern variations such as those featuring aguaymanto, mango, chicha morada, maracuyá and camu-camu from the jungle. Shows and concerts will also highlight Limeño culture, including Marinera dances. There will also be an exhibit detailing the pisco production process, with more than 20 pisco producers from all over the country.
On Saturday February 2nd there will be a walking tour known as the Pisco Route, a circuit of taverns, restaurants and other traditional sites for learning about the history and fabrication of the national cocktail, sampling the cocktails, and visiting some of the city’s emblematic buildings. It will begin at 3:00pm at Hotel Bolívar and finish at Hotel Maury, both within the Cercado de Lima, the historical center of Lima. (One can sign up at the Office of Touristic Information at Pasaje Los Escribanos 145, in the center of Lima.)
If you’re interested in Pub Crawling or visiting some of Lima’s bars, stop by reception at Pirwa Inclan B&B or Pirwa Prada Backpackers and we’ll see if we can get a group together!
Arequipa: Expect a variety of festivities at Arequipa’s day-long festival on February 1st in the city’s main square, during which 6,000 glasses of the national drink will be distributed free of charge.
Ica: Ica will celebrate on February 2nd with a parade of floats, dancers, and musicians along Avenida Municipalidad, the entirety of Bolívar Street, and Avenida Cutervo, later entering into the Ica Fairground. At the fairground there will be free tastings, shows, contests, a food festival and wine fair, a presentation of Peruvian Paso Horses and a communal toast.
Trujillo: Trujillo is expecting around 5,000 to attend their 9th Gastronomic Festival on February 2nd at 11am, stands with Pisco Sours and traditional stews and other dishes. There’s an optional S/1 entry cost which entitles visitors to one small glass of pisco sour.