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The Pink Almond stacks three almond and cherry flavors on top of each other and then puts scotch underneath them. Amaretto and almond syrup are both almond, kirschwasser is a dry cherry brandy, grenadine is pomegranate, and the lemon is the only thing in the glass pulling the other way.
Doubling the almond is not redundant. Amaretto is sweet and heavy with a bitter almond edge, while almond syrup is clean sugar and nut with no alcohol bite, so together they give depth the way two kinds of sugar in a baking recipe do. Scotch is the odd one out and the reason this works at all, since its smoke and grain keep three ounces of sweet liqueur from turning into dessert. Use a blended scotch rather than a peaty single malt.
Glass: Cocktail glass | Strength: Medium | Serves: 1 | Prep Time: 4 minutes
Bartenders tip: The original recipe says only to garnish with fruit, which is not much help, so a maraschino cherry and a lemon twist is the sensible reading given the kirsch and the grenadine already in the glass. Half an ounce of lemon is the only acid balancing more than two ounces of sweet, so do not skip it or cut it back. Crushed ice in a cocktail glass dilutes fast, which this drink actually needs, but it means you should pour and drink rather than let it sit.
Ingredients
- 1 oz Scotch Whisky
- 1/2 oz Amaretto
- 1/2 oz Kirschwasser
- 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
- 1/2 oz Almond Syrup
- 1/4 oz Grenadine
Steps
- Shake all ingredients with ice.
- Strain into a cocktail glass filled with crushed ice.
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry and a lemon twist, and serve.
