Mixology Wine Institute Blog

So it’s Valentine’s Day!  And for Mixologists, it’s the day we celebrate the story of Amaretto.

Leonardo Da Vinci had a lot of students.  One of the best and most famous of these was a painter by the name of Bernardino Luini.  In 1525, a church of the town of Saronno commissioned Luini as their painter.  The church itself was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and Luini needed a model for the Madonna.

He looked everywhere, and finally he found her.  She was a young innkeeper who had just been widowed.  She was beautiful and had a touch of sadness.  Luini immortalized her in Saronno, and according to most versions of the legend, they became lovers.

To thank him, the poor widow was at a loss.  He was a famous painter, one of the most important men of his generation.  So she used brandy as a base, and steeped it in apricot pits.  This was the original recipe for Amaretto.  The premium Amaretto brand, DiSaronno, honors the town where the legend took place.  

Although the flavor in Amaretto is almond, and it’s sweet, there is a trace of bitterness that reflects the sadness of the widow.

Here’s a good Mojito-type drink that you can make that brings the flavors to life:

Piazza Summer Love:

Muddle and Build in a Collins Glass

2 Dried Apricots, cut in half, muddled with honey ginger syrup*

1 oz. Brandy

1 oz. Disaronno

1/2 oz. Domain de Canton Ginger Liqueur

Fill with crushed iced.

Top off with Inko’s Apricot White Tea

*To make the Syrup, in a saucepan take 1 part boiling water, and one part honey.  Stir until even, and then soak fresh ginger for 2 hours.  Remove ginger.  It’ll keep for a few weeks.