In addition to being ten cocktails behind in posting twelve by the end of December, I am also behind in posting a birthday message to my niece, Alaura. Yesterday was her 21st birthday. And the first drink she bought was an Amaretto Sour. That inspired me to share my recipe with you. I didn’t get to make the drink for her as she was celebrating in Las Vegas, but I look forward to making one for her next time we are together.
Though it isn’t a good excuse, my sister originally sent out birth announcements listing December 28 as Alaura’s birthday (and while I give her a hard time about it, at least she sent out birth announcements…I never did).
Alaura is a fantastic human. She is incredibly kind—to people and animals. She would do just about anything for anyone. If you are having a bad day, Alaura is the first to notice and will do anything she can to improve it. She has always been incredibly helpful. Our family gatherings are fantastic, but they can get a bit chaotic. While I have a lot of great stories to share about Alaura, one of my favorites was when I was at Midori’s (Alaura’s sister) high school graduation. My sister and I left to run a few errands. We returned to an immaculate kitchen—and let me tell you, it wasn’t that when we left. Nobody asked Alaura to do it. She just saw that it needed to be done and did it. Pretty rare for someone in high school. I am lucky to have Alaura as my niece!
I think that animals are usually excellent judges of character. Animals love Alaura. Especially dogs. I think she probably got that from Grandpa Craig.
Alaura, I love you, my beautiful niece. I am sorry this is a day late. I hope you had a
fantastic 21st birthday. Miss you! We need to take more photos together!
Amaretto Sour
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces amaretto liqueur
3/4 ounce bourbon
1 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 ounce vanilla brown sugar syrup
1/2 ounce egg white (pasteurized recommended)
Garnish: lemon twist and Luxardo cherries
Directions:
Add amaretto, bourbon, lemon juice, vanilla brown sugar syrup,
and egg white to a shaker and dry-shake (no ice) for 15 seconds. Like always,
when I say shake, I mean shake it like you mean it. Add ice and shake again
until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a
lemon twist and cherries.
A few notes:
Raw egg whites can make you sick (because they can contain Salmonella).
I have used regular egg white before and have been fine. But, to be safe, I
usually use pasteurized egg whites. I think egg whites straight from the egg
have a slightly better texture, but the carton of egg whites is a heck of a lot
easier to manage…especially if you are making several drinks for friends. The
choice is yours.
The egg whites take a few seconds to rise to the top. Don’t
worry. If you shake like you mean it, a beautiful crown of frothy egg whites
will rise to top your drink.
You can certainly use simple syrup instead of vanilla brown
sugar syrup. But I prefer the vanilla brown sugar syrup and always have it on hand
because I use it in Old Fashioneds, my coffee, and anything else I can think of.
You know I measure with my heart, but here are measurements that will work if
you choose to measure: 1 cup water, ¾ sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar. Bring to a boil
while stirring. Once the sugar melts (cloudiness becomes clear), turn off the
heat. Stir in 3 teaspoons of vanilla. Store in the fridge. Keeps for a couple
of weeks.
I also used a clear ice cube. But I will cover that when I
share my Old Fashioned recipe.
