National Pisco Sour Day is celebrated on the first Saturday in February. Pisco is Peru’s national spirit and the Pisco Sour its national cocktail.

But we don’t drink nearly enough pisco in the U.S. To remedy the situation, celebrate National Pisco Sour Day, this year on February 7th.

A versatile and mixable spirit, pisco is a brandy distilled from grapes. The oldest distillery in the Americas, Hacienda la Caravedo, was established in 1684 in Ica, Peru and now used by Pisco Portón, the most awarded pisco in the world. The spirit may be named after the Peruvian town of Pisco.

Here’s a recipe for the most popular pisco drink, a Pisco Sour, from Pisco Portón.

It is believed that the Pisco Sour was invented in at Morris’ Bar in Lima the 1920s, by its American owner, Victor Morris. The recipe was perfected by Mario Bruguet, who added the egg whites to make the velvety cocktail we enjoy today.

RECIPE: PORTÓN PISCO SOUR

Ingredients For 1 Cocktail

1. PLACE all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high for 15 seconds, add 5 cubes of ice, and then pulse in the blender 5 times.

2. STRAIN into a glass. Garnish with 3 drops of Angostura bitters.

Delicious toffee made with cashews instead of conventional almonds. Photo courtesy Red
Rocker Candy.

Red Rocker Candy, of Troy, Virginia, makes one of our favorite toffees: Cashew Toffee with White Chocolate. Every batch is hand-made using only the finest ingredients: pure butter, the best nuts money can buy and fine chocolate couverture.

The result is just the way we like it: oh so buttery, with the different twists of roasted cashew instead of almonds, and white chocolate (although dark chocolate and milk chocolate versions are available).

The toffee is a best-seller year-round; but in its bright red packaging, it makes a delicious Valentine gift.

 
Get yours at Red Rocker Candy.com.

And get some for your Valentine, too.

For a sophisticated Valentine cocktail that isn’t overly pink or laden with rose petals, we like this from Tequila Herradura . Herradura used its Silver Tequila to make the drink.

RECIPE: POMEGRANATE REFRESHER

Ingredients Per Drink

Preparation

1. PLACE all ingredients except the soda into a high ball glass filled with ice.

3. GARNISH with the mint sprig or strawberry and serve.