Disaronno
The world's most famous amaretto, from Saronno, Italy. Everything about the flavour, the almond-free recipe, the Disaronno Sour and the glass it belongs in.
An amaretto from Saronno with a recipe dating back to 1525
Disaronno is an Italian amaretto: a sweet liqueur with the flavour of bitter almonds. According to legend, the recipe was created in Saronno in 1525 by an innkeeper who gave it as a gift to the painter Bernardino Luini. The Reina family has continued making the liqueur in the same city, near Milan, since 1900.
Notable: it contains no almonds. The almond flavour comes from apricot kernel oil, complemented by burnt sugar and seventeen herbs and fruits. Disaronno has an alcohol content of 28% and is recognisable by its square bottle with the gold cap, designed by a glass artist from Murano.
In brief
What types of Disaronno are there?
Disaronno Originale
The original in the square bottle. Sweet, full of marzipan and apricot, with a slightly bitter finish.
Disaronno Velvet
Disaronno blended with cream: white, velvety and less strong. Like an almond-vanilla dessert.
Disaronno 1 litre
The large bottle for the home bar. More economical if you often make a Sour or Godfather.
Disaronno 35 cl
The same Originale in a more convenient size. Perfect for getting acquainted.
Disaronno miniature
A mini version of the famous bottle. Just enough for one Sour or two small glasses neat.
Originale for cocktails and with ice; Velvet if you like it creamy.
Sweet, smooth and full of almond
Marzipan & apricot
Sweet almond and marzipan, with apricot, vanilla and a hint of burnt sugar.
Full and syrupy
Sweet and rounded, like liquid marzipan. The low alcohol content makes it smooth and approachable.
Slightly bitter
The bitter almond returns at the end, keeping the sweetness nicely balanced. Medium-long.
Flavor profile of Disaronno Originale. Velvet is creamier, smoother and less sweet-bitter.
Three ways to drink Disaronno
Disaronno is sweet, so drinking it cold is the way to go: with ice, shaken with lemon or in coffee. Each recipe has its own glass.
On the rocks
Pour 50 ml Disaronno over a large ice cube in a tumbler. This is how they drink it in Italy: simple, cold and after dinner.
Glass: tumbler →Disaronno Sour
50 ml Disaronno, 25 ml lemon juice and optionally egg white, shaken hard with ice. The sour lemon suddenly makes the sweet amaretto surprisingly fresh.
View recipe →In coffee
A splash of Disaronno in an espresso or cappuccino, or Velvet ice-cold in a cold coffee. Almond and coffee are made for each other.
Coffee cocktails →The best cocktails with Disaronno
Disaronno Sour
Disaronno, lemon juice and egg white, shaken hard. Sweet, sour and velvety smooth all at once.
Amaretto Sour
The classic version of the Sour, often with a splash of bourbon for extra body.
Godfather
Whisky and Disaronno over ice, in a 2-to-1 ratio. Two ingredients, one classic.
Italian cocktails
All Italian cocktails on one page, from Spritz to Sgroppino.The right glass for Disaronno
A heavy tumbler for on the rocks and the Godfather, a coupe or tumbler for the Sour. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything you still wanted to know about Disaronno
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