Frangelico Sour: Two Variations

This Frangelico sour recipe was inspired by the Amaretto sour, a modern cocktail developed in the 1970s to introduce Amaretto to the American palate. The Amaretto sour originally had a classic sour formula based solely on the almond liqueur. However, cocktail tastes are changing, and the Amaretto sour now often has a split base with bourbon and Amaretto to make it drier.

But there are no “should’s” in cocktails or life. So, like my Aperol sour variations, you have two options for Frangelico sour recipes. One Frangelico sour is a sister cocktail to the original Amaretto sour and is simply made with Frangelico and citrus. It’s nutty and a bit sweet.

The other adds bourbon and egg white to the Frangelico for a smoother and richer and less sweet drink. Bourbon is extremely versatile, whether you’re adding it to caramel brownies or making a bourbon cocktail like the French 95.

Ingredients

What is Frangelico?

Frangelico is an Italian liqueur first bottled in 1978 and flavored with hazelnuts, coffee, cocoa, vanilla, and sugar. The easy to identify bottle looks like a friar’s robe. That’s because Frangelico was supposedly named after a legendary Italian monk named Fra Angelico.

When first made, Frangelico was 28% alcohol by volume (ABV). It is currently 20% ABV, which makes me wonder how long we’ve had that smaller bottle of Frangelico!

Compared to Amaretto with its 3 grams of sugar per ounce, Frangelico is much sweeter at 11 grams per ounce. Therefore, the simple Frangelico sour variation needs no added simple syrup like you’ll find in the Amaretto sour.

For the same reasons many Frangelico sour recipes use lime instead of the lemon juice in the Amaretto sour. That’s because lemon juice also has more sugar – 2.5 grams of sugar per 100 grams – than limes, which have 1.7 grams of sugar.

Again, choose whichever sour flavor you prefer to go alongside the hazelnut liqueur. There’s no right or wrong here.

Do you know what else is made from hazelnuts? Nutella! Serve your Frangelico sour with some Nutella treats like this Nutella banana bread, Nutella blondies, Nutella waffles, or Nutella babka.

Recipe tips and tricks

The Frangelico sour is a shaken cocktail. As a general rule, shake cocktails with citrus juices to add air bubbles and make it lighter. “They say” that you should stir cocktails containing only spirits so you don’t “bruise” the alcohol.

Frangelico sour variation #1: without egg white

If you want to make either the simple version or the bourbon version without egg white, add your ingredients to your cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain.

The Frangelico sour works best in a lowball glass with a large ice cube. Those large ice cubes are slower to melt, so they don’t dilute your drink as much as smaller cubes.

Frangelico sour varation #2: the dry shake

To make the Frangelico sour or any sour with egg white, it’s best to do a dry shake. The dry shake, like in this creamy espresso martini or gin espresso martini, allows you to do a longer shake to create a foamy top without over-diluting your drink by shaking it with ice.

First, add the Frangelico, bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white to your shaker without ice. I do dry shakes over the sink just in case my shaker leaks from the pressure.

Hold it tight and shake! After about 10 to 20 seconds or so of vigorous shaking, add ice to the shaker, shake briefly to chill, and strain into your glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and orange twist or dehydrated orange slice.

Other Frangelico cocktails

Now that you have a bottle of Frangelico, here are some other Frangelico cocktails and concoctions you can try:

• Go simple. Add Frangelico to coffee, hot chocolate, or pour it over ice cream.
• Use Frangelico in place of Kahlua in this creamy espresso martini for a Frangelico espresso martini or a frozen espresso martini.
• Make dessert cocktails like a Nutty Irisman, Toblerone cocktail, or chocolate cake shot.

Recipe FAQs

Related cocktail recipes

Check out other liqueur-containing cocktails from the Ugly Duckling Bakery beverage archives like: