Pisco Sour - Nationality Dispute

Nationality Dispute

Chile disputes the national origin of Pisco Sour with Peru. The controversy stems from local lore in Chile claiming that Elliot Stubb, an English steward from a sailing ship named "Sunshine", invented the Pisco Sour. The work of Chilean folklorist and historian Oreste Plath further contributed to the propagation of the legend since the 1980s. According to Plath, who used the Peruvian newspaper El Comercio de Iquique as a source, Elliot Stubb obtained leave to disembark in the then-Peruvian port of Iquique in 1872, with the aim of settling in the city and opening a bar. In his bar, he supposedly invented the Pisco Sour while experimenting with drinks.

However, Peruvian researcher Guillermo Toro-Lira argues Plath's story "has been recently refuted when it was found that the original historical source, the newspaper El Comercio de Iquique, was mentioning instead the alleged invention of the whiskey sour and not of the Pisco Sour". This claim is further certified by the University of Cuyo, located in Argentina, which in 1962 published the story of Elliot Stubb and his alleged invention of the Whiskey Sour in Iquique. An excerpt from the story has Elliot Stubb stating, "From now on ... this shall be my drink of battle, my favorite drink, and it shall be named Whisky Sour" (Spanish: "En adelante dijo Elliot — éste será mi trago de batalla, — mi trago favorito —, y se llamará Whisky Sour."). Additionally, Chilean historian Gonzalo Vial Correa also attributed the Pisco Sour's invention to Gringo Morris from the Peruvian Morris Bar, but with the minor difference of naming him William Morris.

Despite the evidence, the dispute continues between Chile and Peru. In 2003, Peru created the "Día Nacional del Pisco Sour" (National Pisco Sour Day) an official government holiday celebrated on February 8. The Chilean Pisco industry retaliated by announcing its creation of the non-government sponsored "Día de la Piscola" (Piscola Day), and also set it for celebration on February 8. Chilean businessman Alberto Mois defended the unofficial holiday by claiming that "Piscola is by tradition the most common manner to drink Pisco in Chile. Nearly 90% of product consumption is done with Coca-Cola or white beverages". Peru responded by changing its Pisco Sour holiday to the first Saturday of February.