FOOD & WINE

Cocktail of the Month

BOURBON AMARETTO SOUR

BY JODY KURASH

I remember the first time I tasted amaretto. I was in 9th grade and my older brother was home from college. It was Saturday evening and our parents were out. He and his friends decided to entertain some young ladies and instead of serving beer, they decided on something more “girly.”

One of my friends was staying overnight and my brother bought our secrecy by letting us imbibe with them, albeit at a distance. He also assigned me the duty of mixing drinks which was a good way to keep me in the kitchen and away from the rec room downstairs.

I was given a few jugs of Sprite and a bottle of reddish-brown liqueur. Its name, “amaretto,” had an exotic ring to it. When I sipped it straight, I first sensed an alcohol burn followed a syrupy fruitcake-like smack. While amaretto is a mild drink, clocking in at between 42 and 54 proof, my young tastebuds weren’t accustomed to straight spirits.

So, we mixed it with Sprite, which turned it into a light and sugary drink, similar to fruitflavored Faygo soda. The night continued, all had fun and I never told my parents. (BTW mom, if you’re reading this, it’s all made up!)

Today, I know a lot more about amaretto. While it doesn’t rank as one of my favorite drinks due to its sweetness, I’ve learned that a well-crafted amaretto, has a much more complex and pleasing taste than the $8 bottle my brother bought at the Pennsylvania state store. It can also add a distinctive layer to cocktails.

Hailing from Italy, amaretto is known for its strong almond flavor. However, it’s forged from, not just almonds, but apricot kernals and peach stones. All of these ingredients combine to create its exclusive flavor.

Even if you don’t imbibe you may recognize the taste, as it’s a popular flavoring in coffee or desserts like tiramisu, gingerbread and cannoli due to is nutty nuances.

Amaretto originated in Saronno, Italy, during the Renaissance. The most wellknown brand, DiSaronno, is named after its birthplace. According to DiSaronno’s website, “artist Bernardino Luini was commissioned to paint a fresco of the Madonna of the Miracles in Saronno. To portray the Madonna, he chose a local innkeeper as his muse. As a mark of her gratitude, she prepared a special gift for the artist, namely, a flask full of an amber

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liqueur.” The legend of Amaretto was born. The spirit, as well as the fresco, have both survived until today.

Although amaretto did not arrive in the U.S. until the 1960s, its presence is marked by an annual holiday. National Amaretto Day is celebrated on April 19, which falls two days after Easter Sunday this year.

So why not start the celebration early with a fresh spring cocktail while donning your Easter bonnet? Many folks are familiar with the amaretto sour, which pairs the nutty liqueur with lemon juice or sour mix. Despite the addition of citrus, this tipple can still be overly cloying.

Difford’s cocktail guide asserts that amaretto’s “almond and vanilla flavor mixes brilliantly with dark spirits - particularly whiskey.” A lovely way to put some mettle in your amaretto cocktail is by adding some bourbon. Think of it as an elevated take on the classic whiskey sour. The bourbon bolsters the liqueur and gives it a toothsome edge.

The key to making it a bright and refined drink is by following the vintage sour recipe

BOURBON AMARETTO SOUR

1.5 ounces amaretto 1 oz bourbon 1 oz fresh lemon juice half oz teaspoon brown sugar half oz egg white Add all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice then strain back into the shaker and shake again without ice. Pour into a glass over ice. Garnish with lemon.

of fresh lemons, juice and an egg white. The result is a balanced frothy, sweet, sour, nutty and strong cocktail.

This Easter I’ll be making a nostalgic amaretto toast to my brother, whose birthday coincidentally falls on that day. Cheers to family secrets!

THE LATEST DISH

BY LINDA ROTH

Just Opened: Andy Brown has opened Andy’s Pizza in Adams Morgan at 2465 18th Street, NW where &pizza used to be. There are locations at Atlas Brew Works on Half Street SE, in Shaw at 2016 9th Street NW, in Navy Yard, and at Tysons Galleria. Andy’s Pizza was named the 2021 winner of the world pizza competition at the International Pizza Expo & Conference in Las Vegas….. SoleLuna, a coffee (from Ecuador) and pastries shop, at 1787 Columbia Rd, NW in Adams Morgan, where Nicecream used to be. Brought to you by the team behind Al Volo Osteria, Taqueria Al Lado, and Retrobottega in Adams Morgan and Trattoria al Volo in Cleveland Park…traditional Japanese izakaya restaurant, Shōtō, opened at Midtown Center with the largest selection of Japanese whiskeys on the East Coast. Executive chefs are Kwang Kim, who was corporate executive sushi chef at Zuma (12 worldwide locations), and Alessio Conti, who was executive chef at Aman Resorts.

Western Market at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave NW has two more food operators serving the Foggy Bottom neighborhood: Falafel Inc., offers classic Mediterranean flavors -- and partners with the World Food Programme, a leading humanitarian food organization, as each $10 food purchase helps feed a refugee. Arepa Zone, allows diners to dig into traditional Venezuelan food such as arepas, patacóns, tequeños, cachapas, and pabellón bowls.

Chef Update: Daron Lee was named executive chef of Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square. An alumnus of the University of Central Florida and the French Culinary Institute, he was previously executive chef at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner.

Captain Cookie & The Milkman is targeting a Q2 2022 opening in Arlington’s Courthouse neighborhood at 2200 Clarendon Blvd. Originally a food truck operation, owners Kirk and Juliann Francis now have locations in Eastern Market, Brookland, and Foggy Bottom.

Quick Hits: Gordon Ramsay’s GRNA is planning to open a two-story Hell’s Kitchen at The Wharf’s phase II development in SW DC with indoor and outdoor seating. …Founders Table Restaurant Group, is slated to open Dos Toros in at 7th and G Streets, NW in Penn Quarter (near its sister operation, Chopt) and at 215 Pennsylvania Ave SE on Capitol Hill where Firehook Bakery used to be.

Denver-based Sage Restaurant Concepts is slated to open Baja-inspired seafood restaurant, Hello Betty, in Q2 2022 in the Canopy by Hilton at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda. The 138-seat restaurant includes a 14-seat PDR and 40-ft Delta Deadrise 23-seat boat bar on the patio. Ryan Zemel is the restaurant GM.

Linda Roth is Founder & CEO of Linda Roth Associates (LRA), a D.C.-based public relations and marketing firm that specializes in the foodservice and hospitality industries. Follow her at: @LindaRothPR @LRAPR #LindaRothPR or www.lindarothpr.com.