Amaretto Stone Sour Classic
Amaretto, orange juice and lemon, shaken and served over ice. The 1970s Midwestern bar drink — a sour with orange juice, which is what 'stone' means.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Fill a rocks glass with ice.
Add the amaretto, orange juice, lemon juice and bourbon if using to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 10 seconds.
Strain over the fresh ice and garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.
A thoughtful finish
- Fresh orange and lemon are the only things between this and the 1970s. Both are cheap.
- Three-quarters of an ounce of bourbon lifts it from a liqueur drink to a cocktail and cuts the sweetness; it is how Jeffrey Morgenthaler rebuilt the Amaretto Sour.
- No syrup. Amaretto is sweet and the orange juice is sweet; the lemon is the only acid and needs no help.
Common mistakes
- Sour mix, which doubles the sugar and loses the fruit.
- Adding simple syrup.
- A cheap amaretto that tastes of almond extract.
A few good questions.
What does 'stone sour' mean?
A sour with orange juice added. Any spirit can be made into a stone sour; amaretto's is the famous one.
What is the difference from an Amaretto Sour?
Orange juice. An Amaretto Sour is amaretto and lemon (and, in the modern version, egg white and a little bourbon); the Stone Sour adds orange.
How strong is it?
Around 10% ABV without bourbon — a light drink. With the bourbon it is a proper cocktail.
Can I use other liqueurs?
Yes: a Midori Stone Sour, a Southern Comfort Stone Sour and a Whiskey Stone Sour were all 1970s bar standards.
Variations
- Amaretto Sour — Amaretto, lemon and egg white.
- Whiskey Sour — Bourbon, lemon and sugar.
- Godfather — Scotch and amaretto.
- Alabama Slammer — Amaretto, sloe gin, Southern Comfort and orange.
Where it comes from
c. 1970s · United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
A ‘stone sour’ is any sour with orange juice added — the name is bar slang of uncertain origin, possibly from a Chicago bar, possibly a corruption of ‘stone fence’ — and the Amaretto Stone Sour was the drink of the 1970s amaretto boom, when the Italian almond liqueur was marketed hard in America and every bar had a sour made from it. Amaretto, orange juice and sour mix over ice was the formula; with fresh lemon and fresh orange it is a pleasant, low-proof, sweet-tart drink that deserves better than the sour mix gave it. The egg-white Amaretto Sour of the craft era is its serious cousin.
Sources
- Gary Regan, The Joy of Mixology, 2003 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Amaretto Stone Sour, 2015 (reference)
- Jeffrey Morgenthaler, The Bar Book, 2014 (book)
Strength. About 1.16 US standard drinks at an estimated 12.4% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
A keeper?
Save this drink for your next cocktail hour.
Saved in this browser.The next great drink
might already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Discover what you can make.