Amaretto Sour

The next time you’re looking for an easy-to-make, not-too-boozy dessert cocktail, might I recommend an Amaretto Sour. There are two basic ways to make this classic cocktail; one is simple with only three ingredients and the other is more modern with egg-white added into the mix. Either way I know you will love these amaretto sour recipes as much as I do!

If you’ve never had an amaretto sour before here’s what you can expect. Amaretto is an Italian liqueur that tastes like almond and an. This drink is on the sweeter side but still balanced and not too boozy. It’s bright and refreshing flavor makes it the perfect summer drink, but you can enjoy it year round.

Related: More dessert cocktails you may love include Mojito, Kentucky Mule, Whiskey Sour, and 40 Fun Cocktails to Make at Home.

Easy Amaretto Sour Ingredients

• Amaretto liqueur
• Simple syrup
• Lemon juice
• Cherries and orange for garnish

Depending on what you have available in your pantry you can swap the simple syrup and the lemon juice for homemade sour mix.

Amaretto Sour Variations

This is a super popular drink with all kinds of fun additions/customizations you can make. Here are a few ideas:

• Use a fruit infused syrup like orange simple syrup to enhance the fresh flavor of the drink.
• Add an additional alcohol flavor like bourbon or whiskey.
• Use Sprite or another lemon-lime flavored carbonated drink, or even plain club soda to top off the cocktail and add a little fizz. If using Sprite add it right before serving so that the soda doesn’t go flat.

More Cocktails to Try

• Espresso Martini
• Lemon Drop Martini
• Homemade Margarita Mix
• Classic Gimlet Cocktail
• Best Mint Mojito Recipe

Modern Amaretto Sour – with Egg White

While the original amaretto sour was introduced to the mid 1970s it was updated in 2021 by bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler with the addition of bourbon and egg white to create a more boozy, rich cocktail.

Cocktails made with egg whites typically have a foamy top. It’s a staple of many vintage cocktails. And while it’s never fully safe to consume raw eggs, it has become a staple of many trendy cocktail menus.

Modern Amaretto Sour Ingredients

• Amaretto liqueur
• Bourbon – cast-strength is recommended
• Lemon juice
• Simple syrup
• Egg white

One egg white is roughly one ounce of liquid. You only need half an ounce for one serving so it’s best to make this version two at a time—perfect for a party!

Amaretto Sours; they are fun, they are sweet, they are delicious. Cheers!

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5 from 5 votes

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how to make an amaretto sour at home

Yield 1 drink

Prep 4 minutes mins

Cook 1 minute min

Total 5 minutes mins

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 ounces Amaretto liqueur
• ▢ 1 ounce simple syrup
• ▢ 1 ounce lemon juice (about half a lemon)
• ▢ 1-2 cherries and an orange wedge (for garnish)

Modern Version

• ▢ 1 ½ ounces Amaretto liqueur
• ▢ 1 ounce bourbon
• ▢ 1 ounce lemon juice
• ▢ ½ ounce simple syrup
• ▢ ½ egg white

Equipment

• ▢
  1 cocktail shaker

Instructions

• To a cocktail shaker add ice and all ingredients except the garnish.
• Shake until the outside of the shaker becomes very cold in your hand.
• Strain into a coup or over ice in a rocks glass.
• Garnish with a cherry (or two) and a orange wedge.

Notes

If you prefer, make your own homemade sour mix and substitute for the lemon juice and simple syrup. 

For the modern version it’s best to dry shake the ingredients (without ice) for 10-15 seconds before adding ice and then shaking in a cocktail shaker until cold. This helps incorporate the egg white better and create that foamy top.

Egg whites are roughly 1 ounce each, so you only need half an egg white to make a single serving of the modern version of Amaretto sour. This makes it a great cocktail to shake up two at a time—great for a party!

Course Drinks

Cuisine American, Italian

Keywords amaretto sour, cocktails

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Amaretto Sours – Classic & Modern

Amount per Serving

Calories

257

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

0.2

g

0

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.1

g

1

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

0.1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

0.01

g

Sodium

 

21

mg

1

%

Potassium

 

64

mg

2

%

Carbohydrates

 

41

g

14

%

Fiber

 

0.1

g

0

%

Sugar

 

40

g

44

%

Protein

 

0.2

g

0

%

Vitamin A

 

2

IU

0

%

Vitamin C

 

11

mg

13

%

Calcium

 

6

mg

1

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.