How to make the Gabriella: strawberry pisco sour guide

To learn how make the Gabriella, muddle half a large strawberry, shake 2 oz Peruvian pisco with about 0.75 oz lemon juice and 0.75 oz simple syrup, strain over crushed ice, then finish with strawberry and a pinch of salt. Per Robb Report, this is a distinct drink—not a basic strawberry pisco sour.

Key Takeaways

• Bartender Ben Long created the Gabriella around 2011 at John Dory Oyster Bar in New York’s Ace Hotel.
• The build uses Peruvian pisco, lemon juice, simple syrup, half a strawberry, crushed ice, and salt on top.
• Lemon (instead of lime), crushed ice, and finishing salt turn a pisco sour into a Gabriella.
• Use a light strawberry accent; Robb Report stresses it should not taste like a fruit-forward strawberry sour.
• Prefer Peruvian pisco brands such as Capurro, Caravedo, Bar Sol, Encanto, or Macchu Pisco.

What is the Gabriella and why does it matter?

Most strawberry cocktails simply become “strawberry” versions of the base drink. According to Robb Report’s Jason O’Bryan, a pisco sour with strawberry is different: it is called the Gabriella because the flavors fuse into something new rather than tasting stacked.

The drink arrived from John Dory Oyster Bar, which opened in the Ace Hotel in New York in 2010 under Sasha Petraske’s guidance. Ben Long created the Gabriella for the bar’s spring/summer menu around 2011. It was named for Ada Gabriela Bueno Böttger, Peru’s competitor in the inaugural Miss Universe pageant in 1952.

That backstory matters for hosts who want a polished, refreshing serve when entertaining at home—or while browsing ideas in our luxury real estate and dream homes coverage—because the recipe is exacting, simple, and designed for crushed-ice refreshment.

How make the Gabriella at home step by step?

Robb Report lists: 2 oz pisco, 0.75 oz lemon juice, 0.75 oz simple syrup, 1 large strawberry halved, and a pinch of kosher salt.

Muddle one strawberry half in a shaker tin. Add the liquids and ice, then shake 8–10 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass, add crushed ice, garnish with the remaining strawberry half, and finish with a heavy pinch of salt on top.

Long’s official lemon call is a “scant” 0.75 oz (roughly 0.65–0.7 oz). O’Bryan found a full 0.75 oz workable, and suggests trimming lemon slightly if the drink reads too tart.

Which ingredients make the Gabriella work best?

Choose Peruvian pisco for more consistent quality. O’Bryan favors rounded styles such as Acholado or Quebranta and generally avoids intensely floral Moscatel-family piscos like Italia or Muscatel. Brands he has enjoyed include Capurro, Caravedo, Bar Sol, Encanto, and Macchu Pisco.

Simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water stirred until dissolved. Use only half a large strawberry—far less than a strawberry daiquiri’s multi-berry load—so the fruit stays delicate. Keep salt on top, not shaken into the liquid, so seasoning lifts each sip instead of muting flavor.

Together, lemon’s mid-palate brightness, crushed ice’s spacing, and the light strawberry accent explain how make the Gabriella stays juicy, fruity, and refreshing without becoming a generic strawberry sour.