Average
Sour, Sweet & Frothy
4 Minutes
Rocks Glass
Ingredients
The Amaretto Sour is a classic sour cocktail that combines sweet, sour, and nutty marzipan flavors, built on a 2:1:1 ratio of amaretto, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
This sour cocktail really took off in the 80s and, to be honest, it still carries that retro vibe today. Often enjoyed as a digestif, the Amaretto Sour is easy to make and distinctly delicious.
How To Make an Amaretto Sour Cocktail
Bar tools you’ll need
Fine Strainer
Jigger
Knife
Boston Shaker
Citrus Elbow
Hawthorne Strainer
How to Mix
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Fill a Boston shaker with ice cubes.
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Cut a Lemon in half and use a citrus elbow (or citrus press) to extract the juice.
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Using a jigger, measure and pour the Lemon Juice into the smaller tin of the shaker.
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Measure and add Egg White (or Aquafaba), followed by Simple Syrup.
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Measure and add Amaretto.
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Separate the Boston shaker and place a Hawthorne strainer over the larger tin and pour the cocktail directly into a rocks glass.
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Slice an Orange Wheel and place it in the glass along with a Maraschino Cherry for garnish.
All about the Amaretto Sour
The Amaretto Sour is a popular cocktail that belongs to the family of sour cocktails. Like all sour cocktails, it follows a classic 2:1:1 formula – 2 parts base spirit, (amaretto), 1 part sour (lemon juice), and 1 part sweet (simple syrup).
The addition of bitters and egg whites (or aquafaba as an egg white substitute) are extremely common when making sours and both are used in an Amaretto Sour.
An Amaretto Sour tastes like a sweet and sticky fruit cake topped with a generous layer of marzipan icing.
Its rich marzipan-like taste comes from the almond liqueur, which blends incredibly well with tart lemon juice and the sweetness of simple syrup. Then there’s its frothy head and velvety texture, courtesy of egg white or Aquafaba.
“It’s really velvety with a super amazing aroma because you’re getting that fresh citrus zest. As you smell it, you’re also getting those marzipan almond flavors coming from the amaretto, with everything beautifully blending together,” says Rico.
As with so many cocktails, the history of the Amaretto Sour is unclear. It’s believed the cocktail first appeared in the U.S. in the 1970s. However, others believe that since Amaretto is an Italian liqueur, the drink actually dates back to early 1900s Italy.
One thing is certain: since gaining popularity in the 1980s, the Amaretto Sour has become a beloved cocktail and a staple at bars around the globe.
- Adjust the sourness and sweetness to your liking
The Amaretto Sour leans towards the sweeter side of the cocktail spectrum, but it’s also a drink that’s easy to customize to your taste. Personally, I like my Amaretto Sour a little more tart to balance out the sweetness of the Amaretto and simple syrup. I use one and a half parts lemon juice instead of just one part. You could also reduce the amount of simple syrup. It all depends on how sweet or sour you like your drink. - Wet shake then dry shake
When making Sours, Rico recommends doing what’s known as a ‘reverse dry shake’. This technique involves first doing a ‘wet shake’ by shaking the cocktail ingredients with Ice, then straining out the Ice and shaking again without it. This is particularly effective for drinks with egg whites or aquafaba, creating a wonderfully frothy, velvety texture. By doing a wet shake followed by a dry shake, you also eliminate the need to fine-strain since you’ve already removed all the ice.
Amaretto Sour with Bourbon
This popular variation adds whiskey to the traditional recipe, creating a bold and complex cocktail. You could say it’s a cross between an Amaretto Sour and a Whiskey Sour.
The smooth, marzipan-like sweetness is perfectly complemented by the rich, smoky notes of bourbon. The addition of whiskey introduces a robust depth, balancing the tartness of the lemon juice and enhancing the overall complexity of the drink.
- Glassware
Like other Sours, the Amaretto Sour is best served in a rocks glass filled with ice. - Garnish
Our recipe garnishes with an orange wheel and a maraschino cherry – but as Rico puts it, “you can use anything you want to garnish your drink. If you want to put a cherry in there, go for it. If you want to put a lemon in there, go for it because it’s really your drink and you’re the one that’s drinking it.”A lemon wheel or lemon twist works well, as does a couple of dashes of bitters alongside the citrus. Lemon is a particularly popular garnish for Sours – the Amaretto Sour included. The choice is yours.
The Amaretto Sour is one of the most sought-after drinks in the world.
Bartender and Global Brand Ambassador
Amaretto Sour FAQ
Yes, you can. Watch this video to see how to make a Whiskey Sour and you’ll see that Ricardo ‘Rico’ Dynan – Bartender and Absolut Global Brand Ambassador – uses aquafaba as an egg white substitute to create the drink.
Bartenders make an Amaretto Sour on the classic 2:1:1 sour ratio – two parts amaretto, one part fresh lemon juice and one part simple syrup with egg white or aquafaba for body.
The same ratio we’re using here. The professional touch is the reverse dry shake: shake the ingredients with ice first, strain the ice out, then shake again without it. That second dry shake whips up the signature frothy, velvety head that separates a well-made Amaretto Sour from a rushed one.
