Homemade Amaretto – Plus a Bonus Cocktail Recipe
Making your own Amaretto is a simple way to enjoy the almond-like flavors of this liqueur but without spending a lot of money. It uses a simple syrup with an alcohol and almond extract to make a homemade amaretto copycat that’s tasty and frugal too.
An amaretto liqueur can be used in either drinks or in cooking (I remember using amaretto to flavor a cheesecake recipe). The history of Amaretto is that it has been made in Italy for several centuries and uses apricot pits along with other herbs and spices. For our purposes we will be using almond extract, which does an excellent job of making an amaretto type flavored beverage. The 2 tablespoons of almond extract called for in the recipe will use up most of a little 2 oz bottle.
This method starts by combining a cup of sugar and a 1/2 cup of brown sugar with a cup of water, heating it on the stove to form a simple syrup and then letting it cool completely. Then 2 cups of vodka is added to the syrup, along with two tablespoons of almond extract and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
And then your homemade Amaretto is ready to use! It’s not necessary to let this liqueur age before using, however you may notice it does get a little more mellow and smooth with time. And here’s a bonus cocktail recipe you can make with your Amaretto too.
Cuban Breeze Cocktail:
- 1 shot Amaretto
- 1 shot Vodka
- Pineapple juice
- Ice
Put some ice in a highball style glass. Add the shot of amaretto and the shot of vodka. Top it off with the pineapple juice. Garnish with a piece of fresh pineapple if desired.
More homemade drinks to try:
Homemade Amaretto
Ingredients:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups vodka
- 2 tablespoons almond extract
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Make a simple syrup by combining the sugars and the water in a small saucepan. Heat on the stove, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugars are dissolved.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let the sugar mixture cool completely. (If the sugar syrup is too hot, it can evaporate some of the vodka when you combine the two resulting in a final product that may be a little too sweet.)
- Pour the two cups of vodka into a large glass bottle or other container.
- Add the almond extract and vanilla extract.
- Finally, add the cooled sugar mixture.
- Gently swirl the ingredients in the bottle around to mix them together.
- The amaretto does not have to age and can be used immediately, however you will probably find that it does mellow and get a little smoother with time.
Cuban Breeze Cocktail Idea:
- A quick idea for using Amaretto is to make a Cuban Breeze cocktail. Put ice in a highball type of glass and add a shot of amaretto and a shot of vodka. Top if off with pineapple juice.
Hi, does the amaretto need to be refrigerated? And how long will it stay fresh? Thanks
No, this mixture does not need to be refrigerated and should last for several months if not longer.
Does this need to be refrigerated? Is there a shelf life?
I did not refrigerate our homemade amaretto. It took us several months to use it up, and it was fine during that time at room temperature.
Well, I’ll be!
I found this recipe while looking for a homemade Frangelico – which I found!
We’ve developed our own Amaretto that’s very close to yours, but we caramelize the sugar and make it 56 proof. Those two things seem (to me) to create something I can’t tell apart from Disaronno Originale. We found that using any brown sugar brought an unwelcome amount of molasses flavor to the party.
We used to buy 40-proof DeKuyper Amaretto because it was cheapest, and our first batches of homemade were like that. Once we made 56-proof and used caramelized sugar, like Disaronno, it just tastes that much fancier! 🙂 I find that it’s worth the extra effort of caramelizing the sugar to get there.
Well done, Bev.
Drats … I didn’t find a homemade Frangelico … but I did find a Kahlua (similar to one of my versions) and, better, a homemade Bailey’s Irish Cream that we’re going to try out soon!
Sorry about that goofy start. I do, however, already have a recipe for hazelnut liqueur I’ve written down, but can’t make until I get the basic flavoring.
So what is your recipe? Do you only use white sugar? How do you caramelize it?
Would love to try your Amaretto Recipe as well… Thank You
Do you have your alternative recipe? Where can we find it? Thanks
Hello
Oh my. I too love me my Amaretto and Bailey’but I haven’t had any in years! At 80 ears old and on a super tight fixed income I wouldn’t do frivolous wants. But, maybe, just maybe I can buy some ingredients and make my own! Would you, or anyone, be so kind as to send me the tweaked version with the caramelized sugar? (How do you do that? I still have to use the brown and white sugars? Clueless!)
Ever so grateful,
Leila R R
It's best to keep count of how many of these you have, they go down to easily.