Amaretto Sour
ClassicIBA OfficialAmaretto, bourbon, and a silk-soft foam.
Sweet-almond, tart, and silky. Amaretto's marzipan richness leads, bourbon adds a dry oak backbone that keeps it from cloying, and fresh lemon snaps it into balance. The egg white lends a plush, meringue-soft foam. Nutty, bright, and far more sophisticated than its reputation.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Amaretto
- 0.75 oz Bourbon
- 1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 0.5 oz Simple Syrup
- 1 Egg White
- Maraschino cherry · optional garnish
- Lemon twist · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Add the amaretto, bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white to a shaker without ice.
- 2
Dry-shake hard for 10-15 seconds to build the foam.
- 3
Add ice and shake again until well-chilled.
- 4
Double-strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a cherry and a lemon twist.
The Story
The Amaretto Sour spent decades as an overly sweet, sour-mix afterthought — until bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler published a rebuilt version in 2012 that made people take it seriously again. His fix: cut the sweetness with overproof bourbon and fresh lemon, and add an egg white for body. The result is a genuinely great sour, and proof that a maligned drink is often just a badly made one.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
