What is National Amaretto Day?
National Amaretto Day, April 19th, honors a liqueur known around the world for its flavor and aroma on April 19th.
Amaretto means "a little bitter" in Italian, because it is made from bitter almonds or apricot kernels, or both. Manufacturers infuse it with pure alcohol or brandy, resulting in a strong almond flavor. This traditionally Italian liqueur has a reputation for being fragrant.
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In Saronno, Italy, painter Bernardino Luini selected a young innkeeper as his model for a fresco of the Madonna of the Miracles, taking us back to the 1525 Renaissance. The innkeeper gave the artist a gift of her own personal blend of almond and brandy in honor of being chosen. For centuries, the family held the dish as a closely guarded mystery. However, the Di Saronno family began making its amaretto for a wider audience in the 20th century. In the late 1940s, the liqueur first appeared in newspaper advertisements in the United States, and the family now bottles their recipe.
Another Amaretto tale comes from the same region of Italy. However, this tale tells of a young Lazzaroni couple who were blessed by the Cardinal of Milan in 1718. The couple commemorated his visit with a unique dish of their own, making an amaretto cookie like no other. This one came in a bottle as well. Of course, they also closely guarded their recipe generations. The Lazzaroni family began exporting their amaretto liqueur in 1851, and the family is still making it today.
