Amaretto Sour
The Amaretto Sour pairs the rich almond character of amaretto with bourbon, fresh lemon and bitters. The additional whiskey gives the drink structure and keeps the liqueur's sweetness in balance, while a dense foam brings the ingredients together into a rounded, aromatic sour.
- Glass
- Rocks Glass (Old Fashioned)
- Ice
- Large fresh ice cubes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Technique
- Single shake · Standard strain
Ingredients
- 40 mlAmaretto
- 20 mlBourbon
- 30 mlFresh Lemon Juice
- 20 mlSimple Syrup — 1:1
- 20 mlFOAMY WHITES
- 5 dashesAngostura Bitters
Method
- 01Fill a shaker with large ice cubes.
- 02Add amaretto, bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, FOAMY WHITES and Angostura bitters.
- 03Shake hard for approximately 12–15 seconds.
- 04Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- 05Finish with an orange peel and a brandied cherry.
Build
- Glassware
- Rocks Glass (Old Fashioned)
- Ice
- Large fresh ice cubes
- Garnish
- Orange peel · brandied cherry
- Technique
- Single shake · Standard strain
Tasting notes
- Rich Almond
- Fresh Citrus
- Silky Texture
- Bourbon Spice
- Family
- Sour
Origin
- Era
- 1970s · modern revival in the 2010s
- Place
- United States
The Amaretto Sour became widely popular as amaretto liqueurs gained international prominence during the 1970s. Early versions were often extremely sweet. Modern bartending revived the drink by reinforcing the base with whiskey and using fresh citrus, creating a more structured sour in which the almond character of the liqueur remains distinctive without dominating the drink.
Bartender notes
- Amaretto provides substantial sweetness of its own, so the balance between citrus and additional syrup is especially important.
- Bourbon gives the cocktail structure, spice and proof, preventing the almond liqueur from becoming overly dominant.
- Fresh lemon juice keeps the finish bright and gives definition to what would otherwise be a very rich drink.
- Shake hard enough to integrate the liqueur, citrus and foam into one uniform texture.
FOAMY WHITES Note
FOAMY WHITES gives the Amaretto Sour a dense, stable texture in a single shake while keeping the almond, bourbon and citrus flavours clean and distinct.