Cocktail
Amaretto Sour
The Amaretto Sour is the almond-liqueur member of the sour family — amaretto shaken with fresh lemon juice and a little sugar, poured over ice or served up. Sweet, tart and unmistakably marzipan-scented, it is a soft, approachable crowd-pleaser, and the modern craft version rescues it from cloying sweetness with a splash of overproof bourbon and a silky egg-white foam.
Sweet-tart15% ABV
At a glance
Signature
Marzipan & Lemon
Vanilla
Strength
Moderate ABV
15% ABV
Cloudy gold beneath a fine foam cap, the Amaretto Sour smells first of sweet almond and marzipan — the benzaldehyde signature of amaretto — lifted by bright fresh lemon and, in the craft version, a warm undertow of bourbon oak and vanilla. On the palate it is plush and sweet-tart: a soft, syrupy almond sweetness set against a clean lemon tartness, with a faint bitter-kernel edge and, when made with high-proof bourbon, a drying, woody warmth that keeps the sugar in check. The egg white lends a silky, rounded texture and a creamy foam, and the drink finishes soft, nutty and lightly tart at only about 15 percent alcohol in the glass.
Taste balance
BitternessMedium
SmoothBitter
StrengthMedium
LightStrong