What is National Amaretto Day?
National Amaretto Day honors a liqueur known around the world for its flavor and aroma on April 19th.
The word Amaretto means "a little bitter" in Italian, because it is made from bitter almonds or apricot kernels, or both. Manufacturers infuse it in pure alcohol or brandy, resulting in a strong almond flavor. This traditionally Italian liqueur has a reputation for being fragrant.
Secrecy and lore shrouded secrecy and lore.
Painter Bernardino Luini selected a young innkeeper as his model for a fresco of the Madonna of the Miracles in Saronno, Italy, taking us back to the 1525 Renaissance. In appreciation for being chosen, the innkeeper gave the artist a gift of her own personal blend of almond and brandy. The family's recipe remained a closely guarded family trade for centuries. However, the Di Saronno family started making its amaretto for a larger audience in the twentieth century. The liqueur first appeared in advertisements in the United States in the late 1940s, and the family still bottles their recipe today.
Another Amaretto story comes from the same area of Italy. This tale, on the other hand, tells of a young Lazzaroni couple who were blessed by the Cardinal of Milan in 1718. The couple celebrated his visit with a unique dish of their own, making an amaretto cookie like no other. This one came also in a bottle. Of course, they also closely monitored their recipe generations. The Lazzaroni family started exporting amaretto liqueur in 1851, and the family is still making it today.
