Bar Necessities
The catalog
Modern Notables

Amaretto Sour

Sweet, almondy, divisive

Glass Rocks
Method Shaken
Garnish Cherry and Orange Wheel

Almond-forward liqueur cut by lemon juice and egg white. Silky, slightly sweet, but not cloying.

Ingredients

Method

Shake amaretto, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white with ice (dry shake first). Strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with cherry and orange wheel.

Created in 1974 by Amaretto di Saronno's US importer as a simple mix of amaretto and lemon juice. The drink appears in print by the 1980s (Mark Torre's The Bartender's Cherry, 1987). Per Difford's Guide #53, the cocktail was dismissed as a "disco drink" during the 1990-2000s cocktail revival until Jeffrey Morgenthaler revived it in 2012 with bourbon and egg white, transforming it into a balanced modern classic.

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