Sours

• The amaretto sour and margarita belong to a family of cocktails called the sours. Sours are made with liquor, lemon or lime juice and a sweetening agent such as sugar, simple syrup or grenadine syrup. While you can make your own sour mix with sugar, water, freshly squeezed lemon juice and/or freshly squeezed lime juice, many people prefer the ease of a commercial sour mix.

Mixes

• Margarita mix is only one variety of commercially available sour mix. Other versions include sweet-and-sour, Collins and lemon-lime mix. Margarita mix is nothing more than sweet-and-sour mix with the addition of blue food coloring and, usually, a hint of lime flavoring. Since amaretto sours are normally made with sweet-and-sour mix, you can make them with margarita mix if you don’t mind a slight blue or green tint in your cocktail. Used in proper proportion to amaretto, the lime flavor of the mix will not overwhelm the almond flavor of the liquor.

Variations

• Some bartenders add bourbon to an amaretto sour to cut the sweetness. If you are using a powdered margarita mix, substitute orange juice for the water called for in the powder’s mixing instructions to balance the lime and complement the almond flavor.

Mix Maintenance

• Most commercially available drink mixes contain preservatives, but they can spoil if you don’t store them properly. Keep powdered and unopened liquid mixes in a cool, dry cabinet, and refrigerate liquid mixes after opening. Discard any margarita mix that appears discolored.