A 1970s throwback, the Amaretto Sour has long been relegated to the history books for being almost poisonously sweet; but the drink has recently seen a resurgence. The original Amaretto Sour recipe was created with equal parts amaretto and lemon juice over ice. Currently, most bartenders use their own creative mix to make the drink.
Amaretto is a traditional Italian liqueur that lends itself to many drinks and cocktails. It is a very sweet and smooth cordial with an almond flavour, but surprisingly, no almonds are used to make amaretto. Rather, the marzipan-like flavour is achieved through apricot kernel oil, burnt sugar and a variety of spices.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Amaretto liqueur
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1 maraschino cherry
Pour the Amaretto, simple syrup, and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a cherry or an orange slice.
The Verdict: Sweet. But we were divided on whether it was too sweet. I might be tempted to up the lemon juice and cut back on the syrup but others were perfectly content with it as it was. It’s one of those cocktails that makes a lovely slow sip and doesn’t pack too much of a punch. We will do this one again.
