How to get foam on an Amaretto Sour without egg white
How to get the foam on an Amaretto Sour without using egg white
The foam is most of what makes a sour look like it came from a bar rather than a kitchen bench. It's also the bit people quietly skip, because the classic way to get it is a raw egg white and plenty of us aren't keen on that, whether it's the raw egg, a vegan at the table or just not fancying the idea.
The good news is the egg isn't doing anything magic. It's protein, and protein is what traps the air you beat into the drink. Anything else with the right sort of protein will do the same job.
What actually creates the foam
Two things have to happen. You need something in the liquid that will hold a bubble, and you need to put enough air in for it to hold. Get one without the other and you get nothing. That's how people who do use egg white still end up with a flat drink, because they shook it lazily.
The air comes from a dry shake. That means shaking everything with no ice at all for a good 15 seconds first, so the protein whips up properly instead of chilling and seizing. Then you add ice and shake again to get it cold. Skip the dry shake and you've wasted whatever foaming agent you used.
Three things to use instead of egg white
Aquafaba, which is the water out of a tin of chickpeas
About 20ml does the same job as one egg white. It's the cheapest option going, because you were throwing it out anyway. It's also fine for anyone avoiding egg and it carries almost no flavour of its own once it's in a sour. Keep the rest in a jar in the fridge for a couple of days.
A shop-bought vegan foamer
These are made for exactly this and they come in a dropper bottle, so a few drops per drink and you're done. Easiest of the lot if you make sours often enough to justify it.
Nothing at all, and change the technique
You won't get the thick standing head, but a hard dry shake on a sour with a decent amount of citrus in it will still throw a short-lived foam that looks respectable for the first few minutes. If you're drinking it rather than photographing it, honestly that's enough.
The sour itself
Build the amaretto first. Still Spirits Amaretto 50ML mixed with your own neutral spirit and Still Spirits Liqueur Base A gives you a bottle that stays the same every time, which matters more than you'd think when you're chasing a ratio.
- 60ml of your finished amaretto
- 30ml lemon juice, squeezed rather than poured out of a bottle
- 15ml sugar syrup, and only if your amaretto came out dry
- 20ml aquafaba, or a few drops of foamer
Dry shake the lot for 15 seconds with no ice. Add ice, shake again until the tin is too cold to hold. Strain over a big cube and let the foam settle for a moment before you touch it.
Bottled lemon juice is the one thing I'd argue about. It's flatter and it has a slightly stewed note that sits oddly under almond, so squeeze it if you possibly can.
If the foam collapses straight away
Usually it's one of two things. Either the dry shake was too short, or there's too much ice water in the drink from over-shaking the second time. A wet, diluted sour won't hold a head no matter what you put in it, so shake the cold stage hard and shake it briefly.
The licence bit, said plainly
Owning a still is legal in Australia and so is buying one from us, and that's where a lot of posts stop. Distilling spirits at home needs an excise manufacturer licence from the ATO, and sorting that out is on you before you run anything through it. Flavouring a bought base spirit with an essence is a different job again and it doesn't need a licence at all.
Shop related products
- Still Spirits Amaretto 50ML. The almond essence the drink is built on.
- Still Spirits Liqueur Base A. The base that gives the amaretto its sweetness and body.
- Still Spirits Hazelnut 50ML. The same style of nutty liqueur if almond isn't your thing.
- Still Spirits Triple Sec Liqueur essence 50ml. Worth having, because most other sours want a splash of it.
Did you know a good part of the spirits range sits in the shop and never appears on the website. Ring us on (08) 8536 4333 and we'll check the shelf before you drive in.
Brewhilder is our homebrew adviser if you want to talk through a liqueur build, and you're always welcome to come in and ask.
There's more in the Still Spirits range and across the wider homebrew section.
Read next
- How to make a killer Amaretto Sour with Still Spirits Amaretto
- How to craft a perfectly balanced Amaretto Sour
- Why the liqueur base matters more than the essence
I'm not a patient shaker, which is entirely my own fault and shows up in the foam every time.
Cheers,
Candeece
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