amaretto stone sour

This amaretto stone sour is a delightfully fresh, citrusy cocktail with notes of sweet almond and vanilla. We add a splash of aged rum to balance the sweet amaretto and add rich caramelized flavors.

This is a fresh, thirst- quenching cocktail you won’t be able to get enough of! We mix amaretto liqueur with fresh squeezed orange, lemon and lime juice, then we round it out with a splash of simple syrup and fragrant aged rum. The combination of fresh citrus, sweet almond and burnt sugar is just so good. It’s our new favorite summer cocktail.

The aged rum is a non-traditional addition to the amaretto stone sour, but one I feel dramatically improves the balance. By default, amaretto is a sweet liqueur. I often feel the main drawback of amaretto cocktails is they are too sweet and lack the structure of enough alcohol to offset it. 

Dark rum gives the drink much needed backbone, along with warm flavors like vanilla and caramel. In our opinion, it makes this the best amaretto stone sour recipe. If you don’t have a good dark rum on hand, use your favorite bourbon instead.

what's the difference between amaretto sour and amaretto stone sour?

A classic amaretto sour is simply amaretto liqueur, simple syrup and lemon juice. This cocktail can be made even more easily if you have sweet and sour mix-- it’s just equal parts amaretto and sweet and sour. An amaretto stone sour includes the addition of freshly squeezed orange juice, which adds extra flavor, freshness and a beautiful orange color. We really love the extra citrus notes alongside the almondy, soft amaretto

how much alcohol is in an amaretto stone sour?

A classic amaretto stone sour only uses 1 ½ ounces of amaretto liqueur in it, which is equivalent to one shot. The alcohol percentage of liqueur is much lower than a standard spirit, and it ranges from 21% to 28% alcohol by volume.

In our amaretto stone sour recipe, we also include ¾ ounces of dark rum, which is typically 40% alcohol by volume.

what is amaretto?

Amaretto is an almond flavored Italian liqueur. The actual blend of flavorings can vary depending on the brand (which could use bitter almonds, apricot kernels, peach kernels, cherry pits) but they are all just using a natural source of benzaldehyde. This is the main flavor compound in bitter almond oil (think marzipan), and it’s the reason almonds can also taste like cherries to some people. Both contain naturally high levels of benzaldehyde!

Each brand uses a proprietary blend of botanicals and their sugar content and alcohol content will also vary by brand. Disaronno is the most prominent amaretto brand, and it produces reliable and high quality liqueur. 

what kind of alcohol is amaretto?

Amaretto is made with a neutral spirit, which is macerated with a variety of botanicals to give it the characteristic sweet almond, vanilla, caramel, orange flavor.

how to make an amaretto stone sour

1. Combine everything in a shaker filled with ice
2. Shake until chilled
3. Strain into a rocks glass filled with a giant ice cube
4. Garnish: thread a strip of orange zest and a cocktail cherry onto a cocktail pick and drop in the glass

what is in an amaretto stone sour:

• amaretto
• aged rum (optional)
• orange juice
• lemon juice
• lime juice
• simple syrup

more amaretto and sour cocktails to try!

strawberry smash with amaretto and rum

mezcal sour with strawberries and ginger

blackberry ginger whiskey sour

honey basil whiskey sour

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