Amaro Sour
Amaro, lemon and egg white, shaken. The sour template applied to an Italian bitter — low-proof, bittersweet, foamy, and the best way to try an amaro you are not sure about.
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.
Chill a coupe.
Add the amaro, lemon juice, syrup if using, egg white and bourbon if using to a shaker and dry shake without ice for 10 seconds.
Add ice and shake hard for another 12 seconds.
Double strain into the chilled coupe, let the foam settle, and garnish with an orange peel or drops of bitters on the foam.
A thoughtful finish
- Taste the amaro first. The sweet ones (Montenegro, Averna) need no syrup; the bitter, dry ones (Cynar, Braulio) may want a quarter-ounce.
- Three-quarters of an ounce of bourbon turns a wine-strength aperitif into a cocktail, as Morgenthaler did with the Amaretto Sour.
- Dry shake first for the foam; it is the drink's texture.
Common mistakes
- Fernet. It is too bitter and too minty for the template; use a gentler amaro.
- Skipping the dry shake.
- Over-sweetening a sweet amaro.
A few good questions.
Which amaro should I use?
Montenegro or Nonino for a light, orangey sour; Averna or Ramazzotti for a richer one; Cynar for a savoury one. Fernet is too much.
How strong is it?
Around 10% ABV without bourbon — wine strength. With the optional bourbon, about 16.
What is amaro?
An Italian bittersweet herbal liqueur, traditionally drunk after dinner. There are hundreds, from gentle to ferocious.
Can I make it without egg?
Aquafaba foams nearly as well; or leave the foam out and serve it over ice as a short, sharp drink.
Variations
- Amaretto Sour — Amaretto, lemon and egg white.
- Aperol Sour — Aperol, lemon and egg white.
- Paper Plane — Bourbon, Aperol, amaro and lemon.
- Whiskey Sour — Bourbon, lemon and sugar.
Where it comes from
c. 2010s · United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
Amari have been drunk neat after dinner for a century and a half; using one as the base of a sour is a craft-era idea, following the Amaretto Sour and the Aperol Sour into the template once American bars started stocking a dozen Italian bitters in the 2010s. Several bars claim an Amaro Sour; Brad Thomas Parsons’s 2016 book Amaro spread the idea. The drink works with almost any amaro — Montenegro and Nonino make gentle, orangey sours; Averna and Ramazzotti richer, darker ones; Cynar and Braulio savoury ones — and it is a good introduction to the family.
Sources
- Brad Thomas Parsons, Amaro, 2016 (book)
- Jeffrey Morgenthaler, The Bar Book, 2014 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Amaro Sour, 2016 (reference)
Strength. About 1.53 US standard drinks at an estimated 15.5% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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