If you love the flavor balance of sweet and sour, then you'll enjoy the classic cocktail, amaretto sour. Every collection of popular mixed drinks should have a little something to please everyone, including an amaretto sour recipe. While the basic formula has only a few ingredients, there are many variations to dress the drink up and change its personality. Many recipes call for egg white, but aquafaba is an easy alternative.
Classic Amaretto Sour Recipe
This delightful combination is among the easiest mixed drinks with sweet and sour you can make.
Ingredients
- 1¾ ounces amaretto liqueur
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- 1 egg white
- Ice
- Lemon-lime soda, to top off
- Bitters, cherry, and orange peel for garnish
Directions
- In a cocktail shaker, add amaretto liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white.
- Dry shake for approximately 45 seconds to mix ingredients and create a froth.
- Add ice to shaker.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with cherry and orange peel. Create design with drops of bitters, dragging cocktail skewer through.
Amaretto Sour Variations
As with many cocktails, imbibers and bartenders have added ingredients to the original amaretto sour recipe to create different tastes that appeal to assorted palates. All variations follow similar mixing and serving procedures as the original recipe for amaretto sour cocktails.
Amaretto Stone Sour
To turn an amaretto sour into a stone sour, just add a splash of orange juice to the mixture before serving.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces amaretto liqueur
- 1½ ounces orange juice
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Orange wheel for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, amaretto liqueur, ornage juice, lime juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks or cocktail glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with orange wheel.
Amaretto Wine Sour
It may seem strange, but adding wine to the amaretto sour adds a new and interesting flavor, so feel free to use either sweet or dry white wine.
Ingredients
- 1¾ ounces amaretto liqueur
- 1½ ounces white wine, sauvignon blanc or chardonnay
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- 1 egg white
- Ice
- Lemon twist for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add amaretto liqueur, white wine, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white.
- Dry shake for approximately 45 seconds to mix ingredients and create a froth.
- Add ice to shaker.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice or chilled coupe.
- Garnish with lemon twist.
Amaretto Sour Sour
Sure to make you pucker and please even the sourest of palettes, this recipe goes big on the sour citrus juices.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces amaretto liqueur
- 1½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- 1 egg white
- Ice
- Bitters and lime wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add amaretto liqueur, lime juice, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white.
- Dry shake for approximately 45 seconds to mix ingredients and create a froth.
- Add ice to shaker.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with lime wedge and 2-3 drops of bitters.
Amaretto Vodka Sour
Perhaps even simpler than all the other amaretto sour recipes, it's also packs a boozier punch too.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce amaretto liqueur
- 1 ounce vodka
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Orange slice and cherry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, amaretto liqueur, vodka, lime juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with orange slice and cherry.
Special Occasion Amaretto Sour
If the guest of honor at a dinner or cocktail party is a big fan of amaretto sours, serving this fancy version of the drink is sure to impress both the honoree and the gathered friends and family. It includes prosecco, a dry, white sparkling wine mainly produced in the Veneto region of Italy. This recipe makes four drinks, so adjust the quantities to accommodate the number of guests.
Ingredients
- Lemon wedge, sugar, finely grated lemon and lime zest for rim
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups sugar
- 8 ounces amaretto liqueur
- 7 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 ounces simple syrup
- Ice
- 24 ounces prosecco
- Orange slice, lime slice, and cherry for garnish.
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat, stir together water and sugar.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, constantly stirring until the sugar completely dissolves and creates a simple syrup.
- Set the syrup aside to cool.
- To prepare rim, rub the rim of the glass with the lemon wedge.
- With the sugar and citrus mixed together on a saucer, dip either half or the entire rim of the glass in the mixture to coat.
- In a pitcher, add amaretto, lemon juice, and cooled simple syrup.
- Stir to mix.
- Top off with prosecco.
- In prepared glass over fresh ice, add amaretto mixture.
- Garnish with orange slice, lime slice, and cherry.
Bittersweet Amaretto
Amaretto is an almond-flavored liqueur made from the pits of almonds or peaches-- or even a combination of the two. It has added sweeteners to cut the bitterness of the pits, as well as natural or artificial almond extract included for extra flavor. The liqueur's name is a derivative of the Italian word "amaro," which means bitter, and the suffix "etto" indicates a diminished or light touch of bitterness. The words amare and amore, which mean love, are frequently associated with the sweetness of the liqueur. The combination of the two could be construed to reflect the bittersweet aspects of love itself.
Choose Your Favorite Amaretto Sour
With so many ways to prepare an amaretto sour, you'll definitely have fun trying out each of these recipes to decide which one is your ultimate favorite. Just don't try them all at once!
