Victor Vaughen Morris


Victor Vaughen Morris was an expatriate American businessman and bar owner best known for inventing the Pisco Sour, the national drink of Peru.

Origins

Morris was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Descending from a pioneer family, his father was a businessman and a polygamist having served there as a Mormon bishop and his grandfather and great-grandfather had played a prominent role in the founding of the city. He was for several years manager for the B.C. Morris Floral Company but later assumed the direction of the retail stores of Salt Lake Floral Company. He was both popular and energetic and a success as President of the American Florist society.
Victor was a leading spirit in Lodge No. 85 of the Elks.

Morris' Bar, Lima, Peru

In 1903, he traveled to Peru to work as a cashier for the Cerro de Pasco Railway Company. Then, in 1915, he moved to Lima and, on April 1, 1916, founded Morris' Bar.
Located in 847 Calle Boza , Morris' Bar served as a gathering spot for the Peruvian upper class and English-speaking foreigners. According to Peruvian researcher Guillermo Toro-Lira, among the notable individuals who attended Morris' Bar were Elmer Faucett, José Lindley, Alfred L. Kroeber, and Richard Halliburton. The saloon was also a center of drink experimentation for Morris. Nicknamed Gringo, Victor Morris created the Pisco Sour as a variety of the whiskey sour.