Amaretto is a sweet Italian liqueur with an almond flavor, often used in cocktails. Its origins are unknown, but a popular legend attributes it to a love affair between a painter and a widow in Saronno. The modern version is made with apricot kernel oil, burnt sugar, and a blend of fruit and herbs. The flavor is described as liquid marzipan. It has a unique bottle design and is popular in cocktail making.
Amaretto is an Italian liqueur flavored with fruit parts that give the liqueur an almond aroma. It’s a very popular drink both in mixers and cold on ice, and has what many people describe as a dessert. The word itself means “a little bitter” in Italian and refers to the slightly bitter aftertaste that the liqueur sometimes has.
The origins of amaretto are unknown, but a popular legend places its creation at the beginning of the 16th century. According to this story, the Renaissance painter Bernardino Luini was in Saronno, Italy, doing a fresco for the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. While there, he used a widow as a model for his painting of her and eventually had a love affair with her. She was so taken with Luini that she wanted to create a special drink in her honor, and the amaretto was the result of her labor of love.
The recipe for this original Amaretto di Saronno has allegedly been handed down from generation to generation and is used as the basis for the modern version or DiSaronno originale. The original was most likely a stock of grape brandy that contained apricot pits. Today’s amaretto is typically made with apricot kernel oil that has been infused with alcohol, burnt sugar, and a blend of fruit and herbs. Apricot pits typically form the main base, but cherry or peach pits may sometimes be used.
Amaretto di Saronno has a very particular bottle, designed by a famous glass craftsman from the Italian city of Murano. The bottle is nearly square with slightly rounded corners and heavily mottled, giving it a noticeable texture. The cap screws on and is a large flat black square with DiSaronno engraved on it.
Overall, the flavor of amaretto is very sweet with a strong almond flavor, leading many people to describe it as a sort of liquid marzipan. It wasn’t imported into the United States until the 1960s, but since its introduction it has quickly become one of the most popular drinks for cocktail making. Some popular cocktails that use it include the Amaretto e la Crema, which consists of equal parts light cream and amaretto over ice, and the Godfather, which is a blend of the liqueur with whiskey and cola.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
