18 Amaretto Sour Cocktail Recipes that Will Keep You Coming Back for More

The Amaretto Sour is a delicious cocktail. The Amaretto, which is the main alcohol in this cocktail, comes from the Italian word amaro, meaning “bitter”, from the bitter almond which is one of the key ingredients of this liqueur. To sweeten it, simple syrup or almond syrup is added. While there is another Italian liqueur called “amaro”, they should be confused with one another. It is safe to say, though, that they share a trait - bitterness. However, amaro is a lot more bitter than the amaretto, therefore rightfully gaining its moniker, “the little bitter”.

Legend has it that the Amaretto had a little romance in it, which is why it is important to the Saronno culture in Italy. It told of Luini, an accomplished artist who was commissioned to paint frescoes in the sanctuary of Santa Maria dei Miracoli in 1925. The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and he found his muse for the Madonna in a young widowed innkeeper. The young woman, poor as she is, decided to make him a liqueur by steeping apricot kernels in brandy and gave it to Luini in gratitude for choosing her as his muse.

There are two classic recipes for the Amaretto Sour - one is the frothy kind added with egg whites. The other is made with the same ingredients, minus the egg whites. The Amaretto sour is a member of the sours family that includes the margarita and the sidecar. The drinks in this family contain a base liquor, the Amaretto, in the Amaretto Sour, a citrus juice and a sweetener. Egg whites are also added in some sours. The egg is emulsified by the citrus juice that you cannot taste the egg white on it.

Italian Amaretto Sour

The Amaretto came to America with the Italian immigrants. Since Amaretto is not considered good enough to drink but used only in cooking, the Italian-American community started a tradition of their own by mixing Amaretto sour for their drinks. Eventually, it became popular and was patronized not only by those of the Italian descent. Since the ‘70s, Amaretto Sour had undergone a lot of reconstruction and innovation, especially in the kind of sweetener used.

This is the classic Amaretto Sour recipe glamorized by the addition of lemon wedge and Maraschino cherry for garnish.

Ingredients

2 oz amaretto

¾ oz lemon juice

1 oz Torani Cane Sugar Syrup

Lemon wedge

Maraschino cherry

Instruction to make

Fill a shaker with ice.

Add the ingredients and shake together.

Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice.

Skewer together a lemon wedge and a Maraschino cherry and use as a garnish.

Frothy Amaretto Sour

The Frothy Amaretto Sour is called just Amaretto Sour but to distinguish it from the no egg white Amaretto Sour, the word frothy was added here. This is one of the earliest attempts to innovate the classic Amaretto.

Ingredients

1 egg white

2 oz fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz Torani Cane Sugar Syrup

2 oz amaretto

Instruction to make

In a shaker filled with ice, combine the egg white, lemon juice, and simple sugar.

Shake until frothy, about 20 seconds.Set aside.

In a separate shaker filled with ice, add the amaretto.

Shake for 10 seconds.

Strain into a whiskey glass filled with ice.

Top with the froth.

Earl’s Amaretto

Instead of just the Amaretto, this version has Bulleit Rye to give it more kick. Bulleit Rye gives it more character with its spiciness and hints of vanilla and honey. Definitely not a boring drink.

Ingredients

½ oz egg white

¼ oz Torani Cane Sugar Syrup

1 oz fresh lemon juice

1 ½ oz Amaretto

¾ oz Bulleit Rye

Instruction

In a shaker, add the egg white, simple syrup, lemon juice, Amaretto and Bulleit Rye

Fill the shaker with ice then make a good seal with the other shaking tin.

Give it a vigorous shake until a rich egg white foam is created.

Strain over an old-fashioned glass filled with ice.

Garnish with a fresh orange zest and sour cherry.

Drink’s Cool Amaretto Sour

This Spanish version of the Amaretto Sour was garnished with freshly grated nutmeg to give it some nutty, sweet and spicy taste. It perfectly complements the Amaretto which has a nutty taste as well. The cocktail itself is not as strong as the other Amaretto Sour versions as it has more citrus juices in the form of lemon and orange to effectively temper the strong flavor of the Amaretto.

Ingredients

2 oz Amaretto

1 ½ oz lemon juice

1 ½ oz orange juice

½ egg white

1 Domino Granulated Sugar

1 Luxardo Maraschino Cherries

The Spice Hunter Whole Nutmeg

Instruction to make

Fill a shaker with ice.

Add the ingredients except the cherry and the nutmeg.

Give it a shake until it is frothy enough.

Strain into a whiskey glass filled with ice.

Grate nutmeg into it. Top with a cherry.

3 Squeeze Amaretto Sour

If orange and lemon is not enough for an Amaretto Sour, then wait until you add lime to it. The sweet and sour mix ties it all together into one beautifully delicious version of the Amaretto Sour.

Ingredients

1 ½ oz amaretto

3 oz Mr. & Mrs. T Sweet & Sour Mix

1 oz Torani Cane Sugar Syrup

Wedge of lemon

Wedge of orange

Wedge of lime

Instruction to make

In a cocktail shaker, add ice.

Add the liquid ingredients.

Squeeze the lemon, lime and orange wedges into the shaker. Drop the rinds into it.

Give it a vigorous shake until chilled.

Strain into a whiskey glass filled with ice.

Garnish with an orange wedge and a cherry.

Lime Amaretto Sour

Here is yet another version of the Amaretto Sour using lime juice. This is just the classic recipe where lemon was swapped with lime.

Ingredients

Juice from 2 limes

1 tbsp Domino Granulated Sugar

1 ½ oz amaretto

Instruction to make

Mix the lime juice and sugar until sugar is well dissolved.

Pour the juice into a shaker filled with ice.

Add the amaretto.

Give it a good shake until well-chilled.

Fill a whiskey glass with ice and fill with the cocktail.

Luxardo Frothy Amaretto Sour

Here’s yet another version of the frothy Amaretto Sour with Angostura Bitters for a bit of character.

Ingredients

1 egg white

50ml Luxardo Amaretto

25ml lemon juice

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Lemon peel for garnish

1 Luxardo Maraschino Cherry for garnish

Instruction to make

Separate egg white and add straight to cocktail shaker.

Add Luxardo Amaretto, lemon juice and 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Add cubed ice to shaker and shake.

Strain away the ice and shake again.

Add fresh ice to a whiskey glass and pour over ice.

Spritz lemon peel and add to garnish with lemon peel a Luxardo Maraschino cherry.

Luxardo Classic Amaretto Sour

This classic Amaretto Sour gets its twist from a spritz of lemon peel for a hit of lemony zest. As you sip on the cocktail, the lemon zest will heighten the flavor of the lemon in the cocktail for a refreshing nasal experience.

Ingredients

50ml Luxardo Amaretto

25ml Lemon juice

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Lemon peel for garnish

1 Luxardo Maraschino Cherry for garnish

Instruction to make

Add Amaretto, lemon juice and 2 dashes Angostura Bitters to a shaker.

Add cubed ice to shaker and shake.

Pour all contents into empty Luxardo Maraschino Cherry jar.

To decorate, cover with paper napkin, poke through a straw.

Spritz lemon peel on top of the napkin and place Luxardo Maraschino Cherry on top.

Smoky Amaretto Sour

Perfect for rustic barbeque nights, this smoky Amaretto Sour is a welcome pair for grilled meat. The party will never be bland with a good pair as this.

Ingredients

50ml Luxardo Amaretto

Assam Black Tea Leaves

Lemon peel for garnish

1 Luxardo Maraschino Cherry for garnish

25ml Lemon juice

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Cubed ice

Instruction to make

Add Luxardo Amaretto, lemon juice, and 2 dashes Angostura Bitters to the shaker.

Add cubed ice to shaker and shake.

Strain into glass and set aside.

On a ceramic plate, light up some loose leaf black tea.

Making sure a glass jar has a lid, place the jar over the burning tea leaves, leaving just enough for smoke to come out without putting off the fire.

Once the fire is put out, cover the burned tea leaves with the jar.

After a few minutes, quickly cover the jar with the lid to capture the smoke inside.

Quickly pour the glass of amaretto sour into the jar then cover it again.

Give the jar a good shake to incorporate the smoke into the cocktail.

Pour into a double whiskey glass just before serving for a more smoky effect.

Bourbon Amaretto Sour

Add bourbon to the classic Amaretto Sour recipe and enjoy a hint of spiciness from the bourbon. Just the perfect treat for bourbon drinkers.

Ingredients

2 oz. Carolina Craft Amaretto Liqueur

½ oz. bourbon

1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice

1 tsp Torani Cane Sugar Syrup

Instruction to make

Combine all ingredients in a shaker.

Shake well with cracked ice.

Strain over fresh ice in an old fashioned glass.

Garnish with lime wedge and brandied cherries, if desired.

Amaretto Stone Sour

Enjoy this version of Amaretto Sour using orange juice and sweet and sour mix. The orange juice will sweeten the cocktail since it does not use any other sweetener.

Ingredients

1 oz Amaretto

1 oz Mr. & Mrs. T Sweet & Sour Mix

1 oz orange juice

Instruction to make

In a shaker, add the ingredients.

Fill the shaker to the brim with ice.

Cover and give it a good shake.

Strain into a martini glass.

Garnish with an orange wedge and a cherry.

Amaretto Sour with AquaFaba

The frothiness of egg without the egg whites. The AquaFaba is water saved from chickpeas and gives this version of Amaretto Sour its frothiness. Best for people with egg allergies.

Ingredients

1 ½ oz amaretto

¾ oz bourbon

Juice from 1 lemon

1 tsp of rich simple syrup

1 oz AquaFaba

1 cup C&H Brown Cane Sugar

½ c water

1 c 365 Everyday Value Frozen Cherries, thawed

1 tbsp brandy

Brandied cherry for garnish

Instruction to make

Make a rich simple syrup

In a saucepan, add brown sugar and water until the syrup thickens.

Reserve a little for use in the cocktail.

Make the brandied cherry

In the saucepan with the rich simple syrup, add the cherries.

Cook over medium heat, then add the brandy.

Continue cooking until the syrup has almost evaporated and the syrup has thickened well.

Assemble the cocktail

Add amaretto, bourbon, lemon juice, aqua fava and simple syrup into a shaker.

Dry shake for 10 seconds. Dry shaking is shaking without the ice.

Add some ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds more.

Double strain into a whiskey glass with ice.

Garnish with brandied cherry and a lemon peel. Give the lemon peel a little squeeze to release the essential oils and add aroma to the drink.

The Amarillo Sour

For a stronger drink, the cask strength bourbon is a perfect choice to spike it. With its 60% ABV, be careful not to drink this cocktail too much unless you’re home and doesn’t have to go anywhere else. It’s quite strong that even the sweetener cannot hide the alcohol aroma. Remember to prepare the egg white last so the froth is not lost.

Ingredients

1 ½ oz. Amaretto

⅔ oz. Cask Strength Bourbon

1 oz. lemon juice

1 tsp Torani Cane Sugar Syrup

½ oz. egg white

Instruction to make

In a shaker, combine the amaretto, bourbon, lemon juice and simple syrup.

Add ice and shake it well for 8-10 seconds.

Strain into a whiskey glass. Set aside.

In a separate shaker, add the egg whites and a scoop of ice.

Give it a good shake until it is frothy enough.

Pour over the whiskey glass and serve.

Reconstructed Amaretto Sour

This version makes use of bonded bourbon. It is bourbon made from a single distillery and has 100 proof or 50%ABV. This is reconstructed from the Morganthaler’s version which used cask proof bourbon.

Ingredients

½ oz (45ml) Amaretto

¾ oz (20ml) Bonded Bourbon

1 oz (30ml) lemon juice

½ oz (15ml) Torani Cane Sugar Syrup

1 egg white

Instruction to make

Fill a shaker with ice.

Add all the ingredients into it.

Give it a good shake.

Strain to a whiskey glass.

Morganthaler's Amaretto Sour

Cask proof bourbon is 120-130 proof; usually diluted with water to lower the ABV to 40% or 80 proof.

1½ oz Amaretto

¾ oz Cask Proof Bourbon

1oz lemon Juice

1 tsp rich simple syrup

½ oz egg white

Instruction to make

Add all the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice.

Shake for 10-15 minutes to achieve a good foam from the egg whites.

Strain to a whiskey glass.

Orgeat Amaretto Sour (Virgin)

Do you enjoy the almond flavor of the Amaretto but cannot have alcohol? Try this virgin recipe using orgeat. You’ll never feel left out or make your friends uncomfortable in a party run by booze.

Ingredients

1 oz Liber & Co. Orgeat Syrup

2 oz Mr. & Mrs. T Sweet & Sour Mix

1 oz lemon juice

Instruction to make

Fill a shaker with ice.

Add the orgeat syrup, sweet and sour syrup and lemon juice.

Shake well and strain into a whiskey glass filled with more ice.

Virgin Amaretto Sour

Another version of the Virgin Amaretto Sour that is not as cloudy as the classic Amaretto sour. Perfect to serve on a children’s play date since even children will find this cocktail delightful enough.

2 oz Liber & Co. Orgeat Syrup

2 oz lemon juice

7-Up

Add the almond syrup and lemon juice into a shaker.

Fill with ice. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds.

Strain into a Collins glass.

Top with lemon-lime soda.

Garnish with a cherry and a lemon slice.

Food Pairing

Amaretto Sour goes perfectly well with toasted almonds, ice cream and chocolate. Check out also the Dark Chocolate Pudding. Pair your favorite chips or crackers with Chive Mascarpone Dip.

More Amaretto Recipes

If you can’t get enough of these Amaretto Sour Cocktail recipes, check out this Rhubarb Sour Recipe or are not fond of Sour cocktails, try the Amaretto in Four Mixes.