Liqueurs

Amaretto

Amaretto is an almond-flavoured Italian liqueur, at 24 to 28% ABV across the three bottles below, and many bottles are flavoured with apricot kernels rather than almonds. Disaronno’s own site calls its bottle nut-allergy free, Lazzaroni infuses biscuits made with egg white, and the Oxford Companion, a secondary source, calls amaretto a nut-flavoured cordial, so with an allergy the label decides. It leads the Amaretto Sour and half of the French Connection.

Quick Facts

ABV28% ABVBottlings run about 21 to 28%.

Legal categoryLiqueur

OriginItaly

Flavour Strengthmedium bold

SeasonYear-round

Our keeping timeYears unopened. Once opened, a year or more kept sealed and out of the light; the fruit and aromatics fade first.

Storage

Store upright in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Reseal tightly after use.

Allergens

Contains: eggs, tree nuts. Not in every bottle: the Oxford Companion, a secondary source, calls amaretto a nut-flavoured cordial, Lazzaroni’s own site lists egg white in the biscuits it infuses, and Disaronno’s own site calls its liqueur nut-allergy free. Check the label.

The ingredient

About Amaretto

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

AlmondMarzipanSweetSubtle bitterness

Tasting Notes

Sweet almond aroma with marzipan richness and a lightly bitter finish. Smooth and syrupy mouthfeel with lingering nutty sweetness.

The almond flavour mostly comes from apricot kernels

Amaretto tastes of almond, but much of it comes from apricot kernels, the seed inside the stone. Apricot kernels and bitter almonds contain the same compound, amygdalin, which breaks down into benzaldehyde, the smell people know as almond. So a liqueur can taste strongly of almond and contain none.

That is also why the taste tells you nothing about allergens. One brand uses biscuits made with egg white.

What is in the bottle depends on the brand

Three bottles show the range. The allergen column is what each producer or its distributor states; recipes change, so the label in your hand is the one to trust.

Three amarettos: what flavours them and what to check (Disaronno from its own site, the Oxford Companion, a secondary source, and a UK retail listing for its strength; Luxardo and Lazzaroni from their own sites)

Flavoured with

Disaronno Originale: Apricot kernel oil, herbs and fruits
Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira: Oils from cherry, peach and apricot stones
Lazzaroni Amaretto: An infusion of amaretti biscuits (apricot kernel, egg white)

Strength

Disaronno Originale: 28%
Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira: 24%
Lazzaroni Amaretto: 24%

Allergens stated

Disaronno Originale: Producer says nut-allergy free
Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira: None stated on its page
Lazzaroni Amaretto: Egg white, in the amaretti

	Disaronno Originale	Luxardo Amaretto di Saschira	Lazzaroni Amaretto
Flavoured with	Apricot kernel oil, herbs and fruits	Oils from cherry, peach and apricot stones	An infusion of amaretti biscuits (apricot kernel, egg white)
Strength	28%	24%	24%
Allergens stated	Producer says nut-allergy free	None stated on its page	Egg white, in the amaretti

It needs lemon or a strong spirit against it

Neat, amaretto is sweet, and the drinks that work set something against it. The Amaretto Sour sets its 45ml against 30ml of lemon juice and 22.5ml of cask-strength bourbon, with only 5ml of rich syrup. The French Connection stirs equal parts with cognac, and the Godfather takes 22.5ml against 45ml of Scotch.

In smaller measures it rounds other drinks: 15ml in the Almond Old Fashioned with bourbon, and 15ml in the IBA Tiki with two rums and Frangelico. For the almond taste without the alcohol, orgeat is the syrup to reach for.

Using it

Using Amaretto

Usage

From 12.5ml to 45ml in our recipes: 45ml, the backbone of the Amaretto Sour, 35ml beside cognac in the French Connection, 22.5ml with Scotch in the Godfather, 15ml in the Almond Old Fashioned and the IBA Tiki. It sweetens as much as it flavours, so it replaces most of a drink's syrup.

Pro Tip

For an Amaretto Sour with egg white, dry shake first for 10 to 15 seconds; add ice, shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds, and double strain over one large cube. Leave the egg out for a guest who avoids it; the drink stands without it.

Top Tips

Read the label for allergens with every new brand. Kernel, almond and biscuit recipes are all sold as amaretto.
Give it acid: the Amaretto Sour works because 30ml of lemon pushes back against 45ml of amaretto.
Count it as sugar. Cut the syrup in a recipe when you add amaretto to it.
With whisky, stir it over one large cube for 15 to 20 seconds, as in the Godfather, and leave the garnish off.

Possible Substitutions

Orgeat Syrup: Almond syrup, without the alcohol
Frangelico: Hazelnut: a different profile

Production Method

Usually apricot kernels, or the kernels of other stone fruit, steeped or distilled in spirit and sweetened; some brands use almonds, and Lazzaroni infuses amaretti biscuits. Caramel, herbs or spices may be added.

History & Context

Disaronno’s own history traces its liqueur to 1525, when an innkeeper in Saronno gave the painter Bernardino Luini a flask of amber liqueur, and calls that a legend. Disaronno’s own history also puts Domenico Reina’s shop in Saronno in the first years of the twentieth century and the founding of ILLVA Saronno in 1947.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is amaretto?

An almond-and-marzipan flavoured liqueur from Italy, usually 21 to 28% ABV. Many are flavoured with apricot kernels rather than almonds, with sugar and sometimes vanilla or spice. The name comes from the Italian amaro, bitter, after the bitter-almond note. People sip it over ice, and bartenders use it in sours and stirred drinks.

Does amaretto have nuts in it?

It depends on the bottle. Disaronno’s own site calls its liqueur nut-allergy free, and the Oxford Companion, a secondary source, says it steeps herbs and fruits in crushed apricot kernel oil. Lazzaroni’s own site lists egg white in the amaretti biscuits it infuses. For anyone allergic to nuts or egg, the label on the bottle decides.

What is amaretto made from?

Usually apricot kernels, the stones inside the fruit, steeped or distilled with spirit and sweetened. Some brands use the kernels of cherries and peaches too, as Luxardo does, some use almonds, and Lazzaroni infuses its own amaretti biscuits. Sugar, caramel and herbs or spices make up the rest.

Which nut is used to flavour amaretto?

Often none. The almond taste comes from benzaldehyde, which forms from a compound found in both bitter almonds and apricot kernels. That is why a kernel-based amaretto tastes of almond without containing any. A few brands do contain almonds, so trust the label, not the taste.

What does amaretto taste like?

Sweet almond and marzipan, with a bitter edge at the finish and sometimes vanilla or caramel. It is sweet enough to need acid or a strong spirit against it, so it suits a sour with lemon or a stirred drink with Scotch or cognac more than a creamy one.

Is amaretto a spirit?

No, it is a liqueur: spirit sweetened and flavoured, at 21 to 28% ABV against the 37.5 to 40% of most spirits. It is not a rum or a brandy either; the base is usually neutral spirit. In a drink, treat it as a sweetener that brings alcohol, not as a base spirit.

What spirit goes with amaretto in a French Connection?

Cognac. Our French Connection is equal measures, 35ml each, stirred over a single big cube and served ungarnished. Put Scotch where the cognac was and you have the Godfather, which we make at two parts whisky to one of amaretto.

Where does amaretto come from?

Italy, and most of all Saronno, in Lombardy by the Oxford Companion’s account, where Disaronno’s own history places ILLVA Saronno, founded in 1947. Lazzaroni, also from Saronno, infuses its amaretti biscuits, by its own site, and Luxardo makes one at Torreglia, near Padua. Disaronno’s own history calls its 1525 origin a legend.

How long does amaretto last once opened?

In our experience, years. It will not spoil; what fades is the almond aroma, slowly, faster in a warm or bright room. Store it closed, in a cupboard. An amaretto with cream in it is a different product and follows the date on its own bottle.

Sources.

Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.

Disaronno, “Disaronno Originale” (producer’s product page (nut-allergy free)).
Disaronno, “Our story” (producer’s history).
The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (Alia Akkam), “almond liqueurs” (secondary source: indigenous to Saronno, in Lombardy; Disaronno steeps herbs and fruits in crushed apricot kernel oil; amaretto generally made from apricot kernels; Lazzaroni infuses Amaretti di Saronno biscuits; a nut-flavoured cordial).
Drinkfinder, “Disaronno 50cl” (UK retail listing: Disaronno 28%).
Luxardo, “Amaretto di Saschira” (producer’s page (24%; oils from cherry, peach and apricot pits)).
Lazzaroni, “Amaretto Lazzaroni 1851, 24°” (producer’s page, in Italian (infusion of Amaretti Chiostro di Saronno: sugar, apricot kernels, egg white)).

From the Guides

Allergens in liqueurs: reading the label

Make something

Made with Amaretto

Featured In These Cocktails

French Connection Amaretto Sour Godfather IBA Tiki Almond Old Fashioned Jack’s Godfather Highball

Show all 7 cocktails

Screaming Orgasm

Often Used With

Updated 19 October 2026

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