Amaretto sour
I am not a big drinker, have never been, in Brazil growing up in family gathering everyone just seemed to drink beer. It was too hot for wine. Also soon after I became of legal age I moved to England so my experience of alcoholic drinks really started here. And to say the English enjoy alcohol is an understatement.
In college the boys mainly stick to Ales, Lagers and Bitters while girls dilute the alcohol in shandies and spritzers and your good old alcopops. University was a bit more hardcore, people would buy cheap vodka and cheap wine and make all kinds of concoctions with cranberry juice and coke and get whole pitchers of Vodka Red Bull. Jack Daniels was an absolute treat at a house party.
Found a bit tough to fit in as I don’t particularly like the taste of alcohol, I find beer and wine unbearable and don’t even get me started on people drinking stuff neat. I was once flirting with a boy at a party and he thought of himself as a whisky connoisseur, when I showed disdain for the neat drink he started mixing it with apple juice and all sorts to show me how versatile whisky could be, but at the end of the night I was not convinced and a little sick.
But I very much enjoy a good cocktail. My other half says the reason I do enjoy them is because they are always so sweet they mask the taste of alcohol.
That’s exactly it and I am not ashamed to say it.
My favourite Caribeean restaurant has won a place in my heart not just because of their fried dumplings but also because they have an amazing cocktail menu which includes passion fruit Mojitos, white rum blended with apricot jam and banana smoothies laced with Tia Maria. Needless to say I was hooked. No I don’t mean I became an alcoholic but I started to take more interest in the science behind making cocktails. And I very much wanted to decide on a favourite drink because every time I approached a bar and they asked what I wanted my mind went blank and I always ended up with boring vodka soda.
It was during one of these blanks that I came across the Amaretto Sour. I had heard of Whisk Sours but after my experience I was never keen on trying those, but I love Amaretto (that’s my mum’s Tiramisu key ingredient) and I love anything with cherries in. Like I said I tried it by chance as my friend was drinking it and again as my mind went blank when the bartender asked me what I wanted I said ‘’I’ll have what she is having’’. And I have never looked back.
It was my celebratory drink on the night I got engaged. No champagne, an Amaretto Sour with extra cherries will do it for me.
Amaretto Sour (makes 1)
Amaretto liqueur
1/6 cup agave nectar
50ml of water
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Juice of a lime
Ice
Lemon zest and marraschino cherries to garnish
Method:
1. Make a simple syrup by bringing the agave nectar, water and zest to a boil until everything is dissolved, for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, strain and let cool.
2. While the syrup is cooling, strain freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice into a jar with lid, discarding the pulp. Pour in the cooled syrup and shake. It will yield around 150ml and that is your sour mixture.
3. Using a shaker or a jar mix equal amounts of the sour mixture with Amaretto over ice and serve garnished with lemon zest and cherries.
