Amaretto Sours are sweet cocktails that are generally made out of three parts Amaretto (an Italian almond-flavored liqueur) and one part of sour mix. Occasionally, the sour mix is substituted with lemon juice. Oftentimes, Amaretto Sours are garnished with maraschino cherries or orange slices.
Function
Amaretto Sours are rather easy to make. Get a chilled glass and rub the rims of the glass with a slice of lemon, then dip it into granulated sugar until it is frosted (this part is optional, but most classic Amaretto Sours had frosted rims). Then proceed to shake the amaretto together with the sour mix (or the lemon juice, whichever you prefer) in a shaker with ice. Pour it into the chilled glass, and garnish with a maraschino cherry or an orange slice.
Potential
Amaretto Sours, surprisingly enough, are not only good as tasty cocktails, they're great at soothing sore throats as well. The Amaretto liqueur is smooth and coats the throat wonderfully. So if you don't happen to have any cough drops lying around, maybe you should consider making yourself an Amaretto Sour.
Considerations
Before you decide to down that Amaretto Sour, it's always a good idea to consider its caloric content, especially if you are watching the waistline. As with any sweet cocktail drinks, Amaretto Sours are rather calorie-laden. For a shooter glass (1.5 oz.), Amaretto Sours are about 118 calories. To burn off one shooter of Amaretto Sours, you would have to do slightly over 30 minutes of walking or approximately 13 minutes of jogging.
Identification
What exactly is Amaretto Liqueur, the main ingredient of Amaretto Sours? Amaretto has only been imported to the United States from Italy since the 1960s. However, it became a surprise hit.
Amaretto doesn't always contain almonds--the standard Amaretto base is made out of apricot pits and often contains added spices and flavorings.
History
Amaretto means "a little bitter" in Italian. Amaretto was first invented by the Lazzaroni family in Saronno, Italy. Their initial Amaretto creation was amaretto cookies, in 1786, made for their regional king. In 1851, they made which consisted of some caramel for coloring and parts of their cookie recipe.
Tags: Amaretto Sours, Amaretto liqueur, Amaretto Sour, Amaretto Sours rather, chilled glass