When someone asks me what I want to drink, I start to stress out. What do I feel like having? What am I in the mood for? And why don’t I just have a signature cocktail? But that’s not the case for Grandma. When it’s time for a drink, she always requests the same thing: her amaretto sour. She loves them so much, she was double-fisting them on her 80th birthday.
If you‘ve followed my work for a little while now, you know I always turn to my grandma for cooking inspiration. Especially to learn more about her Italian cooking. She’s taught me how to make 40 cups of homemade tomato sauce at once, and even how to can them for the winter. She taught me how to make her Italian meatballs (and her little secret for giving them an immense amount of flavor). And now, I’m lucky to share her signature cocktail.
Amaretto sour is made with merely two ingredients—talk about simplicity. Amaretto is a sweet Italian liqueur made from almonds, so if you’re super into the almond taste, this is the drink for you. All you have to do is mix it with a sweet and sour mix (she uses this kind), pour over ice, and if you’re feeling fancy, pop in a maraschino cherry.
Why the amaretto sour?
It has to do with grandma’s upbringing. You see, her parents were Italian immigrants, and they had very particular ways of going about life. They owned a butcher shop and grocer back in the day, which part of me wishes I could have experienced the magic of it back then.
When grandma was feeling under the weather, there was always one thing that helped her to have a good night’s sleep: a little splash of amaretto. Why use cold medicine when alcohol works just as well? Seriously, her parents just got her a little drunk and she would pass out. For grandma, the amaretto sour isn’t just a drink. It’s nostalgia and love and history, poured over on ice.
So today, we drink the amaretto sour. And we drink to celebrate the moms who will do anything to make their children feel better—even if it means getting their kids tipsy.
Amaretto Sour
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Amaretto
- 2 oz. Sweet & Sour Mix
- Ice
- Maraschino Cherry optional
Instructions
- Measure out the amaretto and the Sweet & Sour mix in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for 15 seconds.
- Strain over a glass with ice. Add a maraschino cherry, if desired.
Notes
Looking for more cocktail recipes?
Here are a few of my faves:
- Classic Margaritas
- Rosé Sangria
- Orange Whiskey Sour
- Heavenly Lemonade
- Old Glory
- Frozen Strawberry Margaritas
- Sparkling Peach Sangria
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