Cocktail
Amaretto Sour
Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s version adds cask-strength bourbon to amaretto, giving the lemon and almond sweetness a firmer backbone. This recipe contains whiskey and egg.
Almond · Nutty · Citrusy
Ingredients
- 45 ml Amaretto
- 22.5 ml Cask-strength bourbon
- 30 ml Lemon (fresh juice)
- 5 ml Rich simple syrup (2:1)
- 15 ml Pasteurised egg white
- 1 piece Lemon (peel, for garnish) (Optional)
- 1 piece Cocktail cherries (for garnish) (Optional)
Ice and water are assumed. Add everything else you have.
Method
Dry shake
Equipment: Jigger or measuring spoon · Cocktail shaker · Strainer
- Add amaretto, cask-strength bourbon, lemon juice, rich syrup and pasteurised egg white to a shaker.
- Seal and shake without ice for 10 seconds. Add ice and shake again for 10–15 seconds.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Add lemon peel and a cherry if desired.
A small detail
Rich syrup is 2 parts sugar to 1 part water by weight. Ordinary bourbon makes a milder variation; it is not an equivalent-strength swap.
Estimated strength
Medium
What does this mean?
Per serving: ≈ 17.8% ABV · ≈ 20.6 g alcohol
An estimate, not a measurement. Dilution lowers concentration but does not remove alcohol. Check your bottle label. These typical alcohol levels can vary by brand and market.
Added water from ice: 25%. Water added as a percentage of the measured liquid before mixing. Ice melt varies with temperature, time and technique.
Plan for a party
Prep the base
Measure the base ahead. Fresh additions and the final mixing happen per glass.
Guests: 6
Measure the base ahead. Fresh additions and the final mixing happen per glass.
One recipe serving per guest. Choose the amount you want to prepare.
Base only: 435 ml · Per serving: 72.5 ml. Use a container larger than the volume shown; allow room for fruit and stirring.
Prepare the base
- 270 ml Amaretto
- 135 ml Cask-strength bourbon
- 30 ml Rich simple syrup (2:1)
Keep separate for serving
- 180 ml Lemon (fresh juice)
- 90 ml Pasteurised egg white
Optional garnishes · Optional
- 6 pieces Lemon (peel, for garnish)
- 6 pieces Cocktail cherries (for garnish)
Water for the batch
Do not pre-dilute this base. The original shake or stir with ice supplies the dilution at service.
Prepare and serve
- Measure the base ingredients into a clean, covered container and stir to combine. Keep the quantities in the serving section separate.
- Prepare for today’s service. Label and refrigerate the covered base; follow ingredient storage labels. Keep ice out of the container and chill the glasses before serving.
- For each glass, use 72.5 ml of base in place of those ingredients in the original method. Add the separate ingredients at their per-serving amounts. Do not measure the base ingredients a second time.
- Prepare fresh juice close to serving and keep it chilled separately unless it is explicitly in the base. Fresh batches are for this service, not an overnight storage promise.
- Keep pasteurised egg white separate and refrigerated according to its label. Add it per serving and follow the original dry-shake and ice-shake steps.
- Make foam or aeration fresh at service using the original method. A resting pitcher will not retain the same texture.
The list saves ingredient names, not party quantities. Check the totals above against how much you have. Garnishes and ice are not added.
Bartender sources: Campari Academy: batching techniques · Dave Arnold: measuring dilution and batching · Simon Difford: water and dilution · Jeffrey Morgenthaler: batch calculator
Sources & inspiration
About this recipe
Recipes and house adaptations have source links. Measures, substitutions and estimated strength are explained separately. Images are AI-generated illustrations.
We do not claim every recipe has been physically tested. Community reviews are moderated user reports, separate from recipe sources.
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