Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Amaro Sour

Which amaro you open changes the drink completely. Montenegro gives you orange peel and vanilla, Averna is caramel and cola, Nonino is grappa-bright and dry. Taste the bottle first, then decide whether the syrup goes in at all.

Preparation~2 minEasyStrengthStrongabout 20% ABVMethodShaken8 guided stepsIngredients3Short (rocks) glass

Sour

In the glassAmaro · Fresh lemon juice · Simple syrup

See exact amounts

Make it with guidanceOne clear action at a time, with timers built in.

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What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear rocks glass with low straight sides and a heavy base. — Serving glassRocks glass

Set up before you pour

Use a rocks glass.

The low, sturdy bowl suits concentrated drinks and gives one large cube enough width.

Standard size: 300 ml10¼ oz
Ice & serve: Fill it with fresh ice cubes.
If you don’t own one: Use a small water tumbler with a heavy base.

Tools to set out

cocktail shaker
strainer (or a small sieve)
jigger or measuring spoon

Compare all glass types

Scale to your short (rocks) glassWe’ll remember this glass size.

Amaro60 ml
Fresh lemon juice22 ml
Simple syrup8 ml

Start making

From bottle to glass

Method

01
Measure into the shaker
Pour 60 ml amaro into your shaker
- Amaro
02
Measure into the shaker
Add 22 ml fresh lemon juice
- Fresh lemon juice
03
Measure into the shaker
Add 8 ml simple syrup
- Simple syrup
04
Ice the shaker
Fill the shaker with ice
Why it mattersFill it right up — more ice chills faster with less watering down.
05
Seal and shake
Seal and shake hard
Why it mattersCold hands mean it’s working. Shake until the tin frosts over.
06
Ice the glass
Fill your glass with fresh ice
07
Strain cleanly
Strain into your glass
Why it mattersPour through the strainer so the spent shaker ice stays behind.
08
Finish the drink
Finish it — add an orange slice

Know your drink

About the Amaro Sour

Three bright orange and ruby aperitivo cocktails on an Italian terrace at golden hour.

Read the bottle first

Amaro is a category with almost no rules beyond bitter and Italian. Sugar runs from restrained in Nonino and Braulio to frankly sweet in Averna and Montenegro, and the bitterness can come from gentian, rhubarb, artichoke or cinchona bark. Two bottles wearing the same word on the label can want completely different amounts of lemon, which is why tasting before you pour matters here more than in most recipes.

Common questions

Amaro Sour FAQ

Can I build this on Fernet-Branca?

You can, but drop to 40 ml and raise the syrup to 15 ml. Fernet's menthol and bitterness are far more aggressive than the caramel-leaning amari, and at a full 60 ml with almost no sugar it stops being a drink and becomes a dare.

My amaro sour tastes cloying. Where's the sugar coming from?

Out of the bottle. Averna, Montenegro and Ramazzotti all carry heavy residual sweetness of their own, so 8 ml of syrup tips them over the edge. Leave the syrup out entirely with those and save it for drier amari like Nonino or Braulio.

Would bourbon or rye improve it?

Twenty ml of either is a common bar move and it works, giving the drink a spine without much disturbing the sour ratio. You're then very close to the ground a Paper Plane occupies, so a splash of Aperol alongside is the obvious next experiment.

What ingredients are in an Amaro Sour?

A classic Amaro Sour calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Amaro, 22 ml (0.75 oz) Fresh lemon juice, 8 ml (0.25 oz) Simple syrup. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

How strong is an Amaro Sour?

A standard Amaro Sour is roughly 20% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

Is an Amaro Sour shaken or stirred?

An Amaro Sour is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.

What glass do you serve an Amaro Sour in?

Serve an Amaro Sour in a rocks glass (old fashioned glass), over fresh ice cubes.

Sharpen the technique