Contents
Amaretto is a sweet, almond-flavoured Italian liqueur from Saronno, Italy.
Modern brands make the drink from apricot kernels, peach kernels, or almonds, which are natural sources of benzaldehyde, which provides the main almond-like taste of the liquor.
In addition, the drink is flavored with vanilla and some other spices.
amaretto cocktail recipes
What you need to know about amaretto
How many degrees
The strength ranges from 21 to 37.5%.
About the name of the drink
Amaretto comes from an abbreviation of “amaro”, the Italian word for “bitter”, referring to the bitter almond (mandorla amara) so important to the balance of a good amaretto.
Some say the name means “a little bit bitter”, while others say that amaretto is a combination of amaro (bitter) and amore (love).
Amaretto should not be confused with amaro
After all, this is a completely different class of Italian liqueurs, which has a stronger bitter taste derived from herbs.
Amaretto’s story
The true origins of the amaretto may be lost to history, but the legend of its creation dates back more than 500 years.
In the city of Saronno in northwestern Italy, Leonardo da Vinci’s assistant, Bernardino Luini, was commissioned to make a fresco of the Virgin Mary in a church. He chose a local woman as his model, and she was so proud that she wanted to give Luini a present.
The girl could not give anything expensive, so she took apricot kernels and insisted on brandy, so the first bottle of amaretto appeared.
Who makes amaretto
Today, the liqueur is made all over the world, from the Netherlands to the USA, and, of course, in its homeland in Italy.
How to replace amaretto in cocktails
Almond syrup, but do not forget to divide by 2 the number of milliliters of amaretto in your cocktail recipe, syrup is much sweeter than liquor.
How to drink amaretto
In pure form in small sips
To soften an overly vigorous taste, or to slightly cool the liquor, it is permissible to put an ice cube in a glass of drink or literally splash a thimble of clean water.
As part of cocktails
Tons of amaretto cocktail recipes here.
Serving temperature and dishes
Italians recommend drinking a drink at room temperature, since chilled amaretto significantly loses its aroma and saturation of the flavor bouquet.
As for the glasses themselves, according to the canon, they should have a so-called teardrop shape and a capacity of 30 to 60 milliliters.
What to drink with amaretto
Since this liqueur is exclusively dessert, then an appetizer for amaretto is supposed to be appropriate.
It can be fruit, creamy soufflé, sweet pastries or ice cream.
Some gourmets suggest eating amaretto with cheeses.
12 Popular Brands of Amaretto
Disaronno originale amaretto
The original amaretto is a traditional almond liqueur from Italy, which, thanks to its rare and unique taste, quickly gained popularity all over the world.
Disaronno Amaretto is created from sweet and bitter almonds, vanilla, and various aromatic herbs and spices. Fortress 28%.
Giffard Amaretto
French liqueur has a crystal clear copper-amber color with brownish reflections.
The taste is sweetish with notes of bitter almonds. Caramel aftertaste with a hint of biscuit cakes.
The aroma of liquor harmoniously combines notes of marzipan, almonds, vanilla and dried apricots. Fortress 28%.
Luxardo Amaretto
Italian amber liqueur. It has a refined, sweet, rounded taste with a velvety texture and characteristic almond notes.
The fragrant aroma of the liqueur is filled with almond and vanilla tones. Fortress 28%.
Saliza amaretto veneziano
Rich, delicious liqueur from the Italian manufacturer Bepi Tosolini.
Amaretto Saliza is made by macerating almonds in grape alcohol. Fortress 28%.
Ciroc amaretto
It is made by mixing five-fold distilled French grape-based vodka with natural almond essence. Fortress 37.5%.
Bols amaretto
Dutch liqueur with a warm golden brown color.
Has a harmonious taste with hints of nuts and caramel.
It has a wonderful aroma with hints of almonds. Alcohol content 24%.
Gabriel Boudier Amaretto Almond Liqueur
French amaretto, with classic bitter notes of almonds, lemon zest and marzipan.
The liqueur is interesting for its long-lasting spicy aftertaste. Fortress 28%.
Lazzaroni Amaretto liqueur
Italian amber liqueur has a balanced, original bittersweet taste with hints of biscuit and apricot pits.
The bouquet of the drink is dominated by the aroma of almonds. Alcohol content 24%.
Gozio amaretto
Amaretto brand made from bittersweet almonds. Produced by Distillerie Franciacorta with 113 years of history, based in Gussago, Italy. The trick of the drink is the use of the patented production method and the company’s formula.
The liquor is 100% natural and no artificial flavors, extracts or additives. Alcohol content 24%.
De Kuyper Amaretto Liqueur
Dutch liqueur has a sensual expressive character. On the palate, nutty and vanilla notes intertwine.
In the aroma of the drink, in addition to almond and spicy tones, you can also catch light citrus shades. Fortress 30%.
Seven-Way Classic Amaretto
Italian amaretto is created from a carefully balanced blend of different types of almonds, which gives the drink a unique and smooth taste.
The family factory was established in 1880 and began selling amaretto locally under its own label at the end of the nineteenth century. Several generations have refined the recipe over time to create the best drink. Fortress 28%.
Ancient Amaretto
Classic Italian sambuca flavored with amaretto. Produced in the valley between the Dolomites and the historic island of Venice.
Fortress 38%.
Easy amaretto recipe
Ingredients
Water – 1 cup
White sugar – 1 cup
Brown sugar – ½ cup
Vodka – 2 cups
Almond extract – 2 tbsp. l.
Vanilla extract – 2 tbsp. l.
Method of preparation
Pour the brown and white sugar into a bowl of water and heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Cool the resulting syrup to room temperature, and then pour vodka into it.
Measure and mix the vanilla extract and almond extract in a separate bowl.
Then mix both mixtures and bottle for storage or immediate drinking.
If you want to lighten up your drink a bit, use filter bags and double filtration before bottling.
Homemade amaretto can be stored for a long time and only gets better with time.
Traditional amaretto recipe
Ingredients
Vodka – 500 ml
Almonds – 50 g
Apricot kernels – 50 g
Water – 150 ml
Sugars – 350 g
Vanilla sugar – 2 tsp (or vanillin – on the tip of a knife)
Cinnamon – a pinch
Carnation – 2 pcs.
Allspice – 3 peas
Freshly ground coffee – 3 g
Filter bag for coffee – 1-2 pcs.
Method of preparation
Raw almond kernels are poured with boiling water and infused for a couple of minutes so that the skin can be removed from it.
Peeled almonds are roasted on a dry surface until golden brown. In the process of frying, cloves and allspice should also be thrown into the pan so that they better reveal the aroma in the tincture.
Separately, we prepare caramel from sugar and water. Sugar is poured into a frying pan, preferably Teflon, a third of water is added to it, the mixture is heated over low heat until it acquires a brownish color and caramel aroma. When this happens, the rest of the water is poured into the syrup and vanillin is added.
Roasted almonds, cloves, peppers, apricot kernels and cinnamon are poured into a jar and carefully poured over with hot syrup.
After the contents of the jar have cooled, vodka is poured into it and coffee is poured, then everything is thoroughly shaken.
With the help of a coffee bag filter, we pass our liquor into a clean container. Filtration will clarify the drink and remove unwanted coffee particles. Re-filtration will further clarify the liquor, but is optional.
We send the drink to a dark place for a month, not forgetting to shake it periodically.
At the end of the exposure period, you can additionally filter the liquor through a filter bag or a thick layer of gauze.
Relevance: 27.05.2019
Tags: Liqueurs, Pourings, Liqueurs, Brands of liqueurs, Recipes of liqueurs