Amaretto is a sweet, almond-flavoured liqueur which originates from Saronno, Italy. There are several commercial brands available notably Disaronno and Lazzaroni.
It can be drunk on its own, with ice, in coffee or used as a cocktail base. It’s also used for various culinary purposes, to add flavour to both sweet and savoury dishes.
At Christmas it’s often served with panettone, a type of Italian sweet bread.
The word amaretto is a derivative of the Italian amaro, meaning ‘bitter’, because of the bitter almonds which are its main flavouring ingredient. Amaretti are similarly flavoured sweet little biscuits, like small macaroons. They are often purchased in individual tissue paper wrappings, although they can also be made at home.
