How to Make the Amaretto Sour

The Amaretto Sour is easy to make and an almost perfect combination of sweet and sour makes it a delicious classic cocktail.

Honestly, I am not the biggest amaretto liqueur fan, but somehow this Amaretto Sour cocktail recipe makes one of my favorite cocktails. It’s a great drink, if made correctly, where the smooth almond flavor pairs well with the sour flavor of the citrus. That’s a perfect Amaretto Sour.

Amaretto cocktails can also be bitter themselves. I was once tricked into drinking a few amaretto cocktails by Benjamin Cavagna from 1930 in Milan. I love bitter flavors and he made me such a delicious cocktail that I had to admit that I was being biased!

What goes into a Amaretto Sour?

The Amaretto sour is made like any classic sour cocktail which combines the spirit, the sugar, and the citrus, like the Pisco Sour, the Bourbon Sour and, of course, the classic Whiskey Sour. All have the same ingredients, more or less, and the same technique.

• Amaretto Liqueur: Traditional amaretto is an Italian liqueur, to be more specific an almond liqueur that originated in Italy. It doesn’t matter which you use but Amaretto Disaronno is most famous.
• Sour Mix or Fresh Lemon juice and lime juice: You can buy sour mix or make your own homemade sour mix. It’s so worth it. The citrusy and tangy flavor of fresh lemons is refreshing and adds a punch. It also balances out the flavors of the sweet amaretto flavor.
• Simple syrup: Simple sugar syrup or rich simple syrup is the simplest way to add sweetness without spending a lot of time dissolving sugar granules. You can easily make it and store it for later use. In a small saucepan, mix one cup sugar and one cup water, heat and stir!
• Egg white or Aquafaba: To give it that white foam and that creamy texture! Actually adding an egg is not in the traditional Amaretto Sour cocktail recipe.
• Garnish: Maraschino Cherries are a must and a lemon peel or orange slice or orange wedge.

What tools you need to make Amaretto Sour

You’ll definitely be needing a cocktail shaker (or mason jar!)for this one! Grab a jigger, a barspoon, stainer, and a rocks glass for this Amaretto Sour recipe.

Add all the ingredients into a shaker. Don’t add ice cubes yet, as you want to do the dry shake! Egg whites (yes, from raw eggs!) make the best foam and an impressive frothy layer when shaken first at room temperature! Seal the shaker and start shaking it for about 30 seconds. Now add fresh ice cubes and shake again for 30 seconds. Pour the drink into the glass filled with ice cubes. Add the maraschino cherry garnish and anything else you wish!

• Top Tip(ple)s🍸:
  • A Bit of Bourbon: The addition of bourbon might a more complex flavor to the already delicious cocktail
  • Honey or Maple syrup: Try adding honey or maple syrup instead of simple syrup. Honey will give a beautiful gold color, while maple syrup has a sweet toffee-like flavor.
  • Lemon-lime soda: If you can’t find any sour mix or can’t make it yourself, add a bit of 7up or Sprite and you can make very simple Amaretto Sour.
  • Orange Juice: Some people add a splash of orange juice to richen the bitter flavors of the lemon-lime!

Where to find more classic sour cocktail recipes

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Where to find ingredients for Amaretto Sour

You can find all the ingredients at Spirits Kiosk (10% off the entire site by quoting this code: ALushLife10SK.) in the UK; or Saucey.com in the USA!

Here is the recipe!

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