Still Spirits nailed it—now your shed can outcraft the bar with every sweet-tart sip.

August 28, 2025

Forget the bar tab—create your own top-shelf Amaretto Sour that hits harder (and smoother)

A perfectly balanced Amaretto Sour tastes like an Italian holiday—just enough sweet, just enough zing, with a finish that leaves you quietly impressed with yourself. The kind of drink you hand to a mate and wait for that silent nod of approval. And the best part? You don’t need to be a bartender—or rich, for that matter—to make one that sings. You just need the right mix and a little back-shed magic.

The turning point? Finding the right essence.

We used to experiment with dodgy supermarket bottle flavours. Too sweet, weird aftertaste, wildly inconsistent. But then we tried Still Spirits Top Shelf Amaretto, and everything changed.

Rich, almondy sweetness with just the right hint of bitterness. No strange aftertaste. No guesswork. Just a clean pour and a deliciously reliable finish, every single time. It’s like getting the secret handshake to a better drink.

The Real Secret to a Proper Amaretto Sour

A standout Amaretto Sour hangs on its balance—you want the almond sweetness of the liqueur to dance smoothly with the sour bite of citrus. Most people mess it up by going overboard on sugar or phoning it in with bottled lemon juice. Don't. The trick’s in your hands: keep it homemade, keep it fresh.

Here’s how we do it in our shed:

60ml Still Spirits Top Shelf Amaretto (already prepped using your own neutral spirit and Liqueur Base A)
30ml fresh lemon juice (yes, squeeze it yourself—it matters)
15ml sugar syrup (optional, depending on your sweet tooth)
1 egg white (trust us—adds that fancy bar foam without the fuss)
Ice & orange slice or maraschino cherry to garnish

Steps:

Dry shake all ingredients (excluding ice) in a shaker for about 15 seconds to emulsify the egg white and get that silky texture going.
Add ice and shake again until well chilled.
Strain into an old-fashioned glass over a big cube of ice or neat.
Garnish with a slice of orange or cherry—or both, if you’re feeling flash.

"The first time I handed this to a mate at a BBQ, he asked where I bought it. I told him: my shed."

Why Bother Making It Yourself?

Sure, you can grab a bottle from Dan Murphy’s. But what you make with your own hands, using flavour you’ve blended, filtered and stored—it hits different. Especially when it’s customisable. Want a stronger punch? Adjust the spirit volume. Want more sweetness? Scale your sugar syrup. You get the power to tweak to perfection.

It’s also wildly cost-effective. One tiny bottle of Still Spirits Amaretto essence creates enough liqueur to supply a few dinner parties—and likely win them.

A Little Backstory: The Drink That Shouldn’t Work

The Amaretto Sour’s been around since the 1970s, often considered a bit of a lightweight’s drink back in the day. But under the right hands (read: yours), it transforms into a silky knockout. Soft bitterness from almonds, tart lemon, frothy foam that sticks to the glass in proud streaks—it’s delightfully deceptive.

And now, you’ve got the tools to make it better than the pub down the road. We stock Still Spirits for a reason—it’s the most consistent, dump-and-stir result out there. Easy to follow, adapts to your own base spirit, and doesn’t leave that synthetic aftershock you might find with cheaper alternatives.

What You’ll Need To Keep On Hand

If you’re ready to make this cocktail a go-to, here’s what we suggest:

Still Spirits Top Shelf Amaretto Essence
Still Spirits Liqueur Base A (for the perfect smooth blend)
Quality neutral spirit from your own distilling setup
Citrus press (you’ll want this if you’re serious about cocktails)
Shaker, jigger, and a reliable mesh strainer

All of these can live nicely in your brewing corner or tucked beside your smoking gear. It’s one of those things that once you nail, you’ll always want kept on standby—especially when the mates drop by unannounced.

Side note: The egg white gives the drink body without changing the flavour. If you’re still hesitant, try it once. You’ll never go back. Not keen? Use a vegan foamer or skip entirely—the flavour still holds strong.

The Mic Drop

The coolest part of mastering a cocktail like this? It sneaks up on you. One day you’re measuring with an old coffee mug, the next your mates are calling your kitchen the “local.”

This isn’t just about a drink—it’s about quietly stealing back the craft. Taking what’s usually locked behind a bar or tucked away in imported bottles, and shaping it through your gear, your hands, and your standards. First it’s Amaretto Sour. Next — who knows what magic you’ll mix?

Cheers to good spirits, made better.

— Candeece