Amaretto Sour

The 1970s spawned a slew of famous—some notorious—cocktails like the Amaretto Sour. This sweet and slightly nutty amaretto sour has been making a comeback in the past decade. If you’re a fan of sweet and almond flavors, Amaretto Sour is perfect for you.

In its simplest form, it consists of a sweet component, the amaretto, and a sour component, usually lemon juice. You can make it a little sweeter with simple syrup, stronger with a harder liquor like whiskey, or give it a silky texture and soft mouthfeel with egg whites.

What is amaretto?

Amaretto is an Italian liqueur that gained popularity in the United States in the 1970s, although it has been around in Italy for hundreds of years. The ’70s was a time when sweet drinks reigned supreme in the United States. Amaretto is sweet, with a familiar sweet almond flavor. It means “a little bitter” while amaro means “very bitter” in Italian.

While there are hundreds of amaretto brands in Italy, you’ll only find a handful here in the US. There’s Disaronno who claims to have made the original Amaretto and has been making it since 1525. Luxardo and Gozio are other high quality and tasteful brands.

The taste of amaretto is distinctly bitter and sweet

Amaretto has a distinctive taste of burnt sugar and almonds – not the sweet almond we normally associate with almonds, but more like bitter almonds. Bitter almonds are not available in the US because they contain hydrocyanic acid, also known as cyanide. But no worry! Bitter almond oil, which is the flavoring ingredient in amaretto, is required by law to remove all toxins.

Amaretto makers sometimes use stone fruit pits, mainly apricots, which taste like bitter almonds.

Add an egg white for a silky cocktail

In the 1990s, bartenders reimagined cocktails and egg whites made their way into them. An egg white, while optional, adds body, a smooth mouthfeel, and a silky top without a funky egg flavor. In fact, I find that it takes away some of the sweetness, making for a more balanced drink.

If you’re concerned about salmonella, you can find pasteurized egg whites sold in cartons at your local grocery store, usually right next to the eggs.

For those looking for an alternative to eggs, try aquafaba. It’s the liquid found in canned chickpeas and has a texture similar to egg whites when shaken. And no, there is no weird chickpea flavor.

A modern and common variant

Often listed as Amaretto Sour on cocktail menus, the modern take on the Amaretto Sour emerged during the cocktail renaissance of the early 2010s. Bartender and author Jeffrey Morgenthaler brought cask-strength bourbon into the mix, alongside egg whites and simple syrup.

Cask strength refers to spirits that are bottled straight from the cask with no water added to lower the overall alcohol percentage – cask strength bourbon has around 60% alcohol by volume (ABV) compared to a typical bourbon at around 40% by volume. Overall: It’s strong stuff! If you prefer a stronger and stronger cocktail, try this variation with 1/2 to 3/4 ounce cask strength bourbon.

More delicious variations to try

• Make it NA! With the ever-expanding non-alcoholic options, it’s now possible to make a wonderfully complex Amaretto Sour without the alcohol. Instead of the amaretto, use Lyre’s Amaretti or Beckett’s ’27 Amaretto.
• No lemon? No problem! Lime juice gives the cocktail the same acidity with a floral twist.
• Make it sweeter by adding a teaspoon of simple syrup.

Sweet treats that call for amaretto

• Peach Frangipane Puff Pastry Tarts
• Cherry ice cream with chocolate chips
• Summer berry tart
• cherrycake
• Summer peaches with baked meringue