What Is Amaretto?
And how do you drink it?
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Perhaps you’ve sipped amaretto as an after-dinner drink or know it as a key ingredient in classic cocktails like an amaretto sour. But what exactly is it? For more info, we consulted Kevin Bullick, general manager at Mothers & Sons Trattoria in Durham, NC.
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What Is Amaretto?
Amaretto is a sweet, almond-flavored Italian liqueur. Amaretto is often sipped as an after-dinner drink or used as an ingredient for making cocktails, such as an amaretto sour.
“This liqueur is usually quite viscous with a dark golden or copper color and can be made from a few different things including almonds but is more often made with kernels of stone fruit such as apricots or other stone fruit which all share a chemical compound that tastes like almonds,” Bullick says. “I have made a homemade amaretto using peach pits that came out nicely. “
What’s the Flavor of Amaretto?
Amaretto has a pronounced almond flavor and tastes sweet, slightly honeyed and nutty.
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How to Drink Amaretto
You can drink amaretto neat or on the rocks, in a cup of coffee or in cocktails, like an amaretto sour. Amaretto also pairs well with a variety of spirits including rye whisky, bourbon or scotch. Amaretto can also be mixed into coffee and served with a scoop of ice cream like an affogato.
“When I first started bartending, I remember people drinking it at the end of a meal by itself or in a cup of coffee,” Bullick says. “My favorite use of amaretto is in the amaretto sour cocktail, specifically the recipe made famous by cocktail guru Jeffery Morgenthaler which uses bourbon in it as well. Amaretto is pretty tasty drizzled over vanilla ice cream as well!”
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