amaretto

Amaretto is the diminutive of amaro, 'bitter' in Italian, from Latin amarus. The name refers to the bitter almond flavor — the sharp, aromatic edge beneath the sweetness. But most commercial amaretto is made from apricot pits, not almonds. Apricot kernels contain the same amygdalin compound that produces benzaldehyde, the chemical responsible for the 'almond' flavor. The almond taste in amaretto is usually an apricot in disguise.

The origin legend centers on Saronno, a town near Milan. In 1525, the story goes, an innkeeper gave the Renaissance painter Bernardino Luini a gift of a sweet, amber liqueur infused with apricot kernels. Luini was painting a fresco of the Madonna in the local church, and the innkeeper — sometimes described as his model, sometimes as his lover — created the drink in his honor. The Disaronno brand tells this story on every bottle. Documentation is nonexistent.

What is documented: the Reina family began commercial production of amaretto di Saronno in 1900. Their company became ILLVA Saronno, and their product — Disaronno Originale — dominates the global market. The company dropped 'amaretto' from its marketing in 2001, rebranding as simply 'Disaronno,' partly to distinguish itself from cheaper imitations and partly to avoid allergen confusion (it contains no actual almonds).

Amaretto became a cocktail staple in the 1970s and 1980s. The Amaretto Sour, the Godfather (amaretto and scotch), and the Toasted Almond drove American consumption. The liqueur's sweetness made it accessible to people who did not like straight spirits. By the 1990s, amaretto was ubiquitous — and ubiquity, in the spirits world, often means declining prestige.