Amaretto Sour
A nutty, marzipan-sweet Italian liqueur classic — just amaretto and fresh lemon juice shaken over ice, with a modern bourbon-and-egg-white version that brought it back onto craft cocktail menus.
About the Amaretto Sour
The Amaretto Sour is a simple, nutty-sweet cocktail built on amaretto — Italy’s almond- and apricot-kernel-flavoured liqueur — cut with fresh lemon juice and served over ice in a rocks glass. At its simplest it’s just a two-ingredient pour, which is part of why it became a bar-menu staple and part of why it was, for decades, dismissed as a lightweight sipper.
The drink dates to around 1974, when it was introduced to American drinkers by the importer of Amaretto di Saronno as a straightforward 2:1 mix of amaretto to lemon juice. It rode the wave of Italian liqueurs’ popularity through the late 1970s and 1980s, but that era’s bar version leaned on bottled “sour mix” instead of fresh juice — which is what gave the Amaretto Sour its reputation as a cloyingly sweet, low-effort drink and got it dropped from serious cocktail menus for years.
Its rehabilitation came in 2012, when Portland bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler republished a reworked formula using fresh lemon juice, rich simple syrup, egg white, and a supporting pour of cask-strength bourbon. That version reframed the Amaretto Sour as a properly built modern sour, and it’s this egg-white, bourbon-backed style you’ll find on most craft menus today — usually alongside the classic two-ingredient build.
The Classic Recipe
Classic Amaretto Sour — Serves 1
- 2 oz (60ml) amaretto
- 1 oz (30ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 oz (7.5ml) rich simple syrup (2:1), optional
- Maraschino cherry and orange twist, to garnish
Method
- Fill a shaker with ice. Add the amaretto, lemon juice, and simple syrup if using.
- Shake hard for about 15 seconds until well-chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry and an orange twist or wedge.
Tips for the Best Amaretto Sour
- Use fresh lemon juice. Bottled sour mix is exactly why this drink got a bad reputation in the 80s — fresh juice keeps it bright instead of syrupy.
- Try the modern build. Add ¾ oz cask-strength bourbon and ½ oz egg white to the classic mix for the craft-bar version that revived this drink’s reputation.
- Don’t skip the dry shake. If making the egg-white version, shake without ice first to build the foam, then shake again with ice — skipping this step is the most common reason the foam cap doesn’t form.
- Adjust the sweetness. Amaretto brands vary widely in sweetness, so add the simple syrup only if your bottle needs it.
- Chill your glass. A cold rocks glass keeps the fresh ice from diluting the drink too quickly.
Popular Variations
Amaretto Stone Sour
An older 1970s-80s riff that floats orange juice and/or a splash of soda on top for a fruitier, longer drink.
Morgenthaler-Style Amaretto Sour
The modern craft version: cask-strength bourbon, rich simple syrup, and egg white for a silky, foam-capped finish.
New York Sour Float
A red wine float on top, borrowing the technique from the whiskey New York Sour for a striking layered look.
Virgin Amaretto Sour
Swap the amaretto for a non-alcoholic almond syrup or orgeat for a booze-free take on the same nutty-citrus profile.
How to Serve
Glass: A rocks (old fashioned) glass — this is a sour served on the rocks, not served up.
Ice: Shake with ice to chill, but strain into fresh ice in the serving glass rather than pouring the shaker ice through.
Batching for a crowd: Pre-batch the amaretto and lemon juice at a 2:1 ratio in a pitcher and pour over ice to order. If serving the egg-white version, keep that portion separate and dry-shake individual servings — egg white doesn’t hold up well pre-batched.
Related Database Entries
Explore the key ingredients and spirits in this cocktail: