Can you drink pisco sour while pregnant?
Not advisedNo, avoid pisco sour completely. It carries two risks at once: pisco is a grape brandy at around 40 percent alcohol, and the foam on top is raw egg white.
Why
The alcohol comes first: pisco is a distilled spirit, and a standard cocktail holds two to three ounces of it, so one drink is a full serving of hard liquor. Alcohol crosses the placenta and is linked to miscarriage, low birth weight, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and the NHS and ACOG both advise drinking none at all in pregnancy because no safe level exists. The second risk is the signature foam, which comes from raw, uncooked egg white. FoodSafety.gov lists raw eggs among the foods pregnant people should avoid because of Salmonella, which hits harder in pregnancy and can cause dehydration serious enough to need hospital care.
Safer alternatives
- A virgin sour: fresh lime, simple syrup, and aquafaba shaken hard for the same foam
- Chicha morada, the Peruvian purple corn drink with pineapple and cinnamon
- Limonada frozen, the blended Peruvian limeade served at most Peruvian restaurants
- Lime and pasteurized liquid egg white foam over sparkling water with Angostura drops
Sources
- NHS https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/drinking-alcohol-while-pregnant/
- ACOG https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/nutrition-during-pregnancy
- FoodSafety.gov (FDA) https://www.foodsafety.gov/people-at-risk/pregnant-women
Every verdict follows our sourcing methodology: official health guidelines only, most cautious position when they differ.
Last reviewed by the pregAI editorial team.
Frequently asked questions
What if the bar uses pasteurized egg white?
That removes the Salmonella concern, since pasteurized liquid egg white is treated to kill bacteria. The alcohol is still there, though, and that is the bigger issue. A pisco sour made with pasteurized egg is still a full shot of 40 percent spirit.
Can I order a virgin pisco sour?
Yes, and most Peruvian restaurants will make one. Ask for lime, syrup, and aquafaba or pasteurized egg white, shaken the same way, with the bitters on top. It arrives looking exactly like everyone else's.
I had a pisco sour before I knew I was pregnant, what now?
One cocktail in the early weeks carries low risk, and there is nothing you can do about it retroactively. Stop drinking from today and tell your midwife or doctor at your next visit. If you felt unwell with sickness or diarrhea afterward, mention that too, because of the raw egg.
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