Amaretto Sour

This improved-upon Amaretto Sour from veteran bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler consists of amaretto liqueur, cask-proof bourbon, freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white.

The 1970s cocktail creation was originally introduced as part of a marketing campaign with amaretto liqueur producer and importer Disaronno (called Amaretto di Saronno at the time). The brand recipe was a simple mix of two parts amaretto to one part lemon juice. By the 1980s, as the drink became more popular, bartenders integrated commercially produced sour mix, relegating the cocktail to a syrupy sweet concoction with a dubious reputation.

In 2012, Morgenthaler, a bartender and cocktail book author well known for updating much maligned drinks of the 1970s and '80s, published his version of an Amaretto Sour on his drinks blog with the headline, "I Make the Best Amaretto Sour in The World."

In Morgenthaler's modified rendition, he employs a cask-proof bourbon and leans into the frothy sour model with the addition of egg white.

Why this Amaretto Sour works

The Amaretto Sour is part of the sour family of drinks and loosely follows the two part spirit, one part sour and one part sweet formulation.

The earliest iterations of this drink were considered quite sweet, without the proper acidic balance or backbone needed to truly be in the same category as classic sours such as the Daiquiri or Margarita. Morgenthaler's take ushered the Amaretto Sour into the era of craft cocktails while creating a more balanced and palatable interpretation that is now an accepted version shared worldwide.

"Amaretto isn’t strong enough on its own to stand up to a bunch of other ingredients. It’s weak. It needs help," writes Morgenthaler in his original blog post explaining why he looked to a cask strength whiskey to boost the body and base of the drink. The majority of the cocktail is still made up of amaretto liqueur but the quarter ounce of a higher ABV bourbon assists the lower proof base while providing a robust taste and mouthfeel.

A full ounce of fresh lemon juice balances the sweetness from the amaretto as well as the small amount of rich simple syrup, a richer, sweeter syrup that is two parts sugar to one part water.

The addition of egg white helps to round out the drink's flavors while creating a silky viscosity and froth-like texture. An optional garnish of lemon peel lends a touch of citrus zest and the brandied cherry atop the egg foam layer signifies this is, indeed, a sour to be taken seriously.