Classic Amaretto Sour Recipe

The amaretto sour dates back to the disco era, but the drink fell out of favor towards the end of the 20th century when bartenders started making it with store-bought sour mix. This product, despite its name, tends to be on the super-sweet side, but you won't find any of it in this classic version of the recipe. Instead, developer Julianne De Witt sticks with fresh lemon juice to make a drink that she says combines "elements of both sour and sweet." Besides the tartness from the citrus, she tempers the sugary liqueur with a few drops of bitters and adds egg white saying, "The addition of egg white balances out the citrus and gives the drink a velvety finish." If your tastes run more sour than sweet, you can leave out the simple syrup since amaretto is pretty sweet all by itself.

If presentation is half the fun for you, De Witt suggests serving this drink in a coupe glass. As she explains, "The elegant and retro design works perfectly to showcase this classic cocktail." For a stem-free alternative, however, you can also serve it in a rocks glass (with or without the rocks). With the iconic garnish of a slice of fresh orange and a cherry, you have a sophisticated take on a sweet-tart classic of the cocktail world.

The drink is made from amaretto, lemon juice, an egg white, simple syrup, and a dash of bitters (De Witt likes to use orange bitters, but says the standard kind is okay, too.) You'll also need an orange slice and a cherry to decorate the drink as well as ice cubes to chill it.

Add the amaretto to a cocktail shaker

Add the lemon juice.

Add the egg white.

Add the simple syrup.

Dry shake the cocktail for 15 seconds, until foamy.

Add ice and shake again until the cocktail is chilled.

Strain into a cocktail glass.

Garnish the amaretto sour with a dash of bitters, an orange slice, and a cherry, and serve.

Some liqueurs such as Bailey's Irish Cream, Rumchata, and Kahlua are specific brands, but amaretto is instead a type of Italian liqueur made from almonds. Amaretto di Saronno is one of the best-known brands, but there are many others on the market, as well as several types of non-alcoholic amaretto. The primary flavor is that of sugar and almonds, even though the drink may be made from apricot kernels instead of actual nuts. While this liqueur is clear, its origins are somewhat cloudy. There seem to be two competing stories about how it came to be created. According to one, amaretto was invented in the 1500s by an innkeeper who also had a side gig as an artist's model. In the other, the drink was developed in the 19th century by the same Lazzaroni family who are known for their amaretti cookies.

Amaretto is often consumed neat as a digestive after dinner but can also be served in a variety of different ways. Besides the amaretto sour, the liqueur can be used in other cocktails such as the Inch by Inch and Brown Babes. It also tastes great in coffee and can be used to flavor baked goods and other desserts including tiramisu and the luxurious coffee-ice cream concoction known as affogato.

Dry shaking, if you're not up on your mixology terminology, may sound like a contradiction in terms. After all, how can you "dry" shake something made of liquids? Well, technically there's nothing dry about it, but the term simply means that you're shaking the drink without ice. So why shake instead of stir, then? Dry shaking is typically used for sours and other drinks that contain egg whites as it allows this ingredient to fully combine with the alcohol and other liquids. It also aerates the egg whites, creating a frothy texture.

Once your dry shake is done, you will need to shake the drink once more, this time with ice to chill it. Of course, there's no need to dry shake if you omit the egg white. Eggs are strictly optional in sours these days and some find eggless cocktails to be more refreshing. If such a drink is more to your taste, you only need to shake it one time with ice, then pour it over fresh ice cubes, if desired.