Amaretto Sour

The Amaretto Sour is a classic cocktail recipe, and it happens to be one of my favorites! Sippable and boozy, it’s made with amaretto, bourbon, bitters, and homemade sour mix, plus an orange slice and maraschino cherry for garnish.

An Easy Yet Delicious Cocktail

This classic Amaretto Sour recipe will warm you from the inside out. That makes it a great cocktail for fall!

To make your Amaretto Sour Cocktail even more delicious, mix in your own homemade Sweet and Sour Mix. All you need is sugar and fresh lemon and lime juice!

And while you’re at it, try making some simple syrup for more yummy mixed drink recipes!

This sour drink is a bit sweeter than a classic Whiskey Sour. With its mix of sweet, sour, and bitter flavors, this amaretto cocktail is my favorite way to enjoy Disaronno. If you want to make it really fancy, you can even add an egg white!

Amaretto Sour Ingredients

I have made several versions over the years and this is by far my favorite!

A couple of key things to point out in this recipe are the use of bourbon, which helps reduce the sweetness and increases the strength of the drink, and the Angostura bitter which tie everything together.

The homemade sour mix is also important because it includes lime and well as lemon juice in the mixture.

• Amaretto – A sweet, slightly bitter, almond-tasting Italian liqueur. Disaronno is a popular amaretto brand, so this drink is sometimes called a Disaronno Sour.
• Bourbon – This adds earthy flavor and adds a hearty kick of booze.
• Sour mix – The tart citrus flavors pair perfectly with the sweetness of the amaretto.
• Angostura bitters – This concentrate lends well-rounded, aromatic spice.
• Orange slice – A touch of sweet citrus for garnish.
• Maraschino cherry – A classic finishing touch. You want the dark maraschino brandied cherries for this recipe.

Substitutions & Variations

• Add an egg white: If you’d like a foamy top, you can add an egg white to the mix. To do this you’ll want to do what is called a dry shake this is when you shake the cocktail ingredients in the shaker without ice for 15 seconds and then add ice and shake for an additional 15 seconds.
• Make it with lemon lime soda: For a simpler, less boozy concoction, you can make a 3-ingredient Amaretto Sour with equal parts amaretto and sour mix, plus lemon-lime soda.
• Use rye whiskey: You can sub this for bourbon, but I wouldn’t recommend using Irish whiskey.
• No Sour Mix: If you don’t have time to make your own sour mix, please don’t use the store bought stuff! Instead you can substitute with 1/2 ounce lemon juice, 1/2 ounce lime juice, and 1/2 ounce simple syrup.

How To Make An Amaretto Sour

1. Add Amaretto to a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Add bourbon to the cocktail shaker.

3. Add sour mix to the cocktail shaker.

4. Add Angostura aromatic bitters.

5. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds.

6. Strain the cocktail into rocks glass with ice.

7. Garnish with a brandied cherry and orange wedge and serve with a cocktail straw.

“This was sooo good!! It’s definitely going to be a weekly go to cocktail for me, absolutely delicious! Wonderful recipe!!”

– Trisha

What is amaretto made of?

This Italian liqueur is sweet, almost syrupy, and has an almond taste. It also has a slightly bitter flavor. Fun fact: “amaretto” means “a little bitter.”

Despite its flavor, it’s not always made with almonds; it’s usually flavored with apricot pits or a mixture of the two.

How much alcohol is in an Amaretto Sour?

In any standard sour recipe, there’s usually 2 ounces of liquor.

Can you drink amaretto straight?

Absolutely! Because it’s sweet, it’s a tasty after dinner drink. You can also try a Disoronno Sour over ice as we do in this recipe.

Large Batch Instructions

If you want to make this for a large group, use the following amounts:

• 1 1/2 cups Amaretto
• 1/2 cup Bourbon
• 1 cup sour Mix
• 16 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine everything in a pitcher with ice and stir well. Serves 8.

More Classic Drink Recipes!

• Moscow Mule – This vodka, ginger beer, and lime cocktail is always a favorite!
• Frozen Peach Bellini – Upgrade your mimosas for these frosty drinks.
• Champagne Cocktail – Made with elderflower liqueur for a deliciously sweet drink!
• Clover Club – This beverage is guaranteed to impress!
• French 75 – A glamorous gin and champagne drink.