Proof logo

How to Make Homemade Amaretto

Love that nutty flavor of great amaretto? Why not make homemade amaretto and get the most authentic flavor out there?

By Ossiana TepfenhartPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
Top Story - September 2018
Like

Amaretto is a classic Italian dessert liqueur that tastes phenomenally good when mixed with coffee or just on its own. Its deliciously nutty-spicy taste makes it a favorite for chocolate pairings, not to mention delicious dessert cocktails, too.

Quality amaretto is expensive—but it doesn't have to be! If you know how to make homemade amaretto from scratch, you can get a world class dessert drink without the upper-class tag.

A DIY amaretto sounds intimidating, but it's really not. Making your own amaretto doesn't have to be difficult. This recipe below allows you to make it in a pinch!

Here's why you should want to make homemade amaretto—aside from the price.

Most store-bought amaretto is grossly overpriced, but that's not the only reason why you should want to make it. This recipe will show you how to make your own vodka infusion that is certainly not one the grossest vodka infusions of all time. In fact, it's delicious. It'll impress your friends, your taste buds, and everyone else who heard that you did it yourself.

Before you can make homemade amaretto, you're going to need to get the right ingredients on hand. Like with other liqueurs, quality ingredients matter. The better the quality of the ingredients you have, the better your amaretto will taste.

You will need:

  • 2 cups vodka: Plain, flavorless vodka is what you want. May we suggest Ketel One?
  • 2 tablespoons almond extract: Can't get that nutty taste without it!
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract: For that extra kick!
  • 1 cup white sugar: It's a sweet dessert.
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar: Brown sugar gives it a delicious molasses-like taste.
  • 1 cup water, filtered: Filtered water will give you the cleanest flavor possible.

You don't need any specialty supplies to make homemade amaretto, surprisingly enough. Heck, you don't even need typical vodka infusion supplies like cheesecloth.

The only things you will need to start this recipe at home are a stovetop, a pot, and a mason jar, which you likely have leftover from one of those DIY mason jar projects you've used to make your home look great. You might also want to grab a funnel for pouring the amaretto out of the pot.

Chances are, you have all of these items at home. If you don't, grab them, or ask a friend to borrow their kitchen in a pinch.

The first thing you're going to do is make a syrup mixture.

Pour the water and sugars into a pot and stir it up. Once it's mixed, heat up the pot to a boil. You will need to keep an eye on the pot to make sure that it's boiling, and that the sugars aren't turning into caramel.

Your goal here is to have the sugar dissolved and the water boiling over medium heat. If you notice caramelization happening, you're going to have to start over.

After your mixture reaches a boil, remove your pot from the heat.

You don't need to keep the mixture boiling for too long! The moment that your syrup mixture hits a boil, take the pot off the stove and let it cool down for about ten minutes—or until the mixture feels lukewarm.

Now that you got a sugar and water mix going, it's time to add some spice. You want to make sure that the extracts are evenly stirred in. This is what will give your amaretto the tasty dessert flavor that you're craving, after all.

Want a little extra punch of flavor? If you regularly make homemade amaretto or just have a penchant for extra-flavorful liqueur, then you can add a teensy bit extra to your mix.

Stir in the vodka next.

It wouldn't be amaretto without a little kick, right? The final step to the process is to add the vodka to your mix and stir it up. And, just like that, you have delicious amaretto!

It's really not that hard to create amaretto from scratch, is it? For many people, storing the amaretto's the hard thing. Tilting a pot can easily lead to splashes and spills, you know.

I personally find using a funnel to be cleaner, but you can do it funnel-free. Once you have learned to make homemade amaretto, you can make it as many times as you want. After funneling it in, store it in a dark place.

Did we mention that this recipe scales up effortlessly?

If you're looking to make more than three cups of amaretto, that's not going to be an issue. You can simply increase the proportions of all the ingredients across the board, and follow the instructions.

This is great to know if you like to make big batches of booze, isn't it?

So, you have your amaretto. You can drink it straight like a true Italian, or you can choose to make some delicious amaretto-based cocktails. My suggestion would be to give an Amaretto sour a try. It's incredibly refreshing and is one of the best cocktails for candy lovers to have.

how to
Like

About the Creator

Ossiana Tepfenhart

Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer based out of New Jersey. This is her work account. She loves gifts and tips, so if you like something, tip her!

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.