Amaretto
The Italian liqueur that tastes like almond without necessarily containing almonds. What amaretto is, where its bitter side comes from and which glass to serve it in.
Almond flavor, usually without almonds
Amaretto is an Italian liqueur with a pronounced almond flavor. The surprising thing is that the best-known brand contains no almond at all: the flavor comes from apricot kernels. They contain the same aromatic compound as bitter almonds, which is why you can barely taste the difference. Other brands do use almonds, or a combination. The name says it all: amaretto means 'a little bitter', and that bitter edge beneath the sweetness is the defining characteristic of the category.
The percentages vary more here than you might expect. The classic recipe is around 28 to 30%, but there are also creamy varieties that come in at 17%. The liqueur comes from Saronno in Lombardy, and the best-known brand carries that place name in its own name. Amaretto is drunk neat, over ice, in coffee and especially in an Amaretto Sour, where its bitterness counteracts the citric acidity.
In brief
Three bottles, three ABVs
From the classic recipe at 28% to a creamy version that comes in well below that.
Disaronno Originale
The best-known of them all, in the square bottle with the gold cap. The flavor comes from apricot kernels, not almonds.
Villa Massa Amaretto
From the house best known for its limoncello, and bottled at a slightly higher strength. Drier and less syrupy.
Disaronno Velvet
The creamy version: much softer, thicker and considerably lower in alcohol. More dessert than digestif.
Disaronno Originale for the classic taste; Velvet if you're looking for something creamy.
Marzipan, with a bitter edge
Marzipan & vanilla
Unmistakably marzipan, with vanilla and burnt sugar underneath. Exactly the aroma of almond paste, and that is no coincidence.
Sweet and syrupy
Full, sweet and slightly syrupy, with nuts and candied fruit. The bitter almond note only appears at the end, keeping it from being overly sweet.
Long and bittersweet
A long finish in which the sugar fades and the bitterness lingers. Ice or lemon brings that side out best.
Flavor profile of Disaronno Originale at 28%. The creamier Velvet is softer and scores lower on intensity; Villa Massa is slightly drier.
Three ways to drink amaretto
Amaretto is sweet, and everything you do with it is about balancing that sweetness: with ice, lemon or coffee.
On the rocks
5 cl over one large ice cube in a heavy tumbler, with an orange peel. The ice dilutes it slowly, while the citrus oil cuts through the sweetness. The simplest way, and still the best.
Glass: tumbler →As an Amaretto Sour
Shake 6 cl amaretto with 2.5 cl lemon juice, 0.5 cl sugar syrup and one egg white vigorously. The lemon fully brings out the bitter almond note; of all sours, this may be the easiest to get right.
Amaretto Sour recipe →In coffee
A splash in black coffee, with or without whipped cream. Almond and coffee enhance each other, and at 28% there is still enough alcohol to make it a true coffee cocktail.
Coffee cocktails →The best-known amaretto cocktails
Wherever amaretto goes, it rarely goes alone: it is the sweet counterpart that rounds out a cocktail.
Amaretto Sour
Amaretto, lemon, sugar and egg white. Sweet and sour in exactly the right proportions.
Godfather
Whiskey with amaretto over one large ice cube. Two ingredients, lots of impact.
Disaronno Sour
The version with the best-known brand, and the recipe provided by the brand itself.
French Martini
Vodka, pineapple and raspberry liqueur. Replacing it with amaretto makes it nutty.The right glass for amaretto
A heavy tumbler for serving over ice, and a coupe or tumbler for a sour. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
The best-known amaretto brands
Two Italian names: the bottle everyone knows, and the brand best known for its limoncello.
Disaronno
The square bottle with the gold cap, and by far the world's best-known amaretto. Made with apricot kernels, not almonds.
About Disaronno →Villa Massa
From the makers of Sorrento limoncello, and at 30% just a little stronger. Drier than Disaronno.
About Villa Massa →Pallini, Aperol, Campari and Fernet-Branca are also featured on glazen.nl.
Everything you still wanted to know about amaretto
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