Quick take: pair an Amaretto Sour cocktail with an Emmental cheese
In our cheese + cocktail pairing project, I combine my cocktail know-how with the encyclopedic cheese knowledge of Jennifer Greco of Chez Loulou for a series of classic cocktail and cheese pairings.
As we move into autumn, we decided to do something that was warming and may well take advantage of a bottle that many people have lingering on their bar, but might not know what to do with, and mixed up an Amaretto Sour cocktail.
October Pairing: Amaretto Sour cocktail with Emmental
Tips, Tricks & Lessons learned:
- We chose the Emmental as the best cheese pairing for the Amaretto Sour because the combination was better than just the sum of their parts. It brings out all the flavors in the cocktail of almond, citrus and a touch of spice, making for a better flavor of the drink overall, and the cheese lingers in a pleasantly bitter way.
- In addition to the Emmental, Saint-Nectaire (which also brought out the almond and spice in the cocktail and an interesting yeasty element to the cheese), Camembert (makes for a fresher cocktail with almond at the back and a pineapple flavor to the combo) and Bleu d’Auvergne (strangely interesting combination that makes the drink more almond and sweet and the cheese lingers) also went well with the cocktail.
- Crottin de Chavignol, Valençay and Saint-Marcellin were pretty neutral in terms of pairing, so while they might not add anything, they would be an inoffensive one to add to the board.
- Cheeses that made for an uninteresting or unpleasant pairing: Époisses (makes for a bitter combination that cancels out both cheese and cocktail), 2 year Comté (also makes both taste bitter.)
- The Amaretto Sour is a sweet cocktail and the almond is very present in the flavor profile. I find the updated Jeffrey Morgenthaler recipe tones things down by adding bourbon and makes for a more balanced and tasty drink.
- I strain my citrus juice before measuring and adding it to the shaker (rather than double straining the cocktail at the end) because it makes a more accurate and better balanced finished product.
Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s Daiquiri Cocktail recipe
- 1½ oz/45 ml amaretto
- ¾ oz/22.5 ml cask-proof bourbon
- 1 oz/30 ml lemon juice
- 1 tsp/5 ml 2:1 simple syrup
- ½ oz/15 ml egg white, lightly beaten
- Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake without ice or (even better) use an immersion blender to combine and froth.
- Shake well with cracked ice.
- Strain over fresh ice in an old fashioned glass
- Garnish with lemon peel and brandied cherries, if desired.
Recipe printed courtesy of jeffreymorgenthaler.com
If you’re here, I already know you like cocktails. But, if you want to learn more about these or other cheeses, I recommend some time on Jennifer’s blog and Instagram.
Up next: What Cheese to Pair with a Jack Rose cocktail
