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The Toasted Almond drink is a dessert drink starring amaretto and Kahlua! This recipe is a sweet and creamy showstopper.

Toasted Almond Drink
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Looking for a unique dessert cocktail? Try the Toasted Almond drink! This creamy drink balances vodka, amaretto and Kahlua that results in a flavor that’s surprisingly similar to toasted almonds. Something about the coffee liqueur adds in a roasty flavor that makes this drink both balanced and intriguing, all at once. This one surprised us with its delicious flavor: and had us coming back for more (even though we’re not traditionally sweet drink fans).

What’s in a Toasted Almond drink?

The Toasted Almond drink is a dessert cocktail made with vodka, amaretto, Kahlua and cream to mimic the flavor of toasted almonds. The history of the drink is murky: no one seems to know when and where it was invented. The ingredients are similar to a White Russian, invented in the 1950’s. But the addition of amaretto makes it taste like a more balanced dessert cocktail, like a Brandy Alexander. Here are the ingredients in a Toasted Almond drink:

  • Vodka
  • Amaretto
  • Kahlua or other coffee liqueur, like Tia Maria or Sheridan’s
  • Heavy cream
Toasted Almond Drink

More about amaretto

What brings the toasted almond flavor in this drink? Amaretto! Amaretto is an almond liqueur from Italy. It tastes both sweet and bitter, with a strong almond flavor (amaretto means in Italian “little bitter”). This liqueur became popular in the US in the 1960’s and 70’s, spawning many amaretto cocktails like the Amaretto Sour, French Connection, Godfather and others.

There are many brands of amaretto on the market. A common inexpensive choice is Di Amore Amaretto. A higher-end brand we’ve tried is Lazaroni Amaretto: but keep in mind, it has a much stronger and developed almond flavor. Whatever brand you find will work for this recipe!

How to make a Toasted Almond drink (basic steps)

The Toasted Almond drink is a traditional shake and strain cocktail, much like other creamy after dinner drinks! Here’s what to do:

  1. Shake in a cocktail shaker. Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker: add ice and shake!
  2. Strain into a glass. Strain the drink into a stemmed cocktail glass.
  3. Garnish: The garnish is important: fresh nutmeg adds a warm-spiced flavor to the drink. It’s similar to a Brandy Alexander, Milk Punch or a Golden Cadillac.

Toasted Almond drink for a crowd: in a pitcher

Making the Toasted Almond drink for entertaining and want to whip up a bunch at once? Stir together the following ingredients in a pitcher to make 8 servings:

  • 1 cup vodka
  • 1 cup amaretto
  • ½ cup Kahlua
  • 1 ½ cup heavy cream

Important: when you’re ready to serve, serve the mixture over ice instead of straight up in the glass! This is important to get the dilution that shaking with ice would achieve.

Toasted Almond Drink recipe

More creamy cocktails

Using heavy cream in cocktails to make creamy dessert drinks is a years-old tradition! In fact, the first creamy cocktail was Milk Punch, invented back in the 1680’s! Here are a few more dairy-based creamy dessert drinks:

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Toasted Almond Drink

Toasted Almond Drink
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4.5 from 2 reviews

The Toasted Almond drink is a dessert drink starring amaretto and Kahlua! This recipe is a sweet and creamy showstopper.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 drink 1x
  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Shaken
  • Cuisine: Cocktails
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ounce* vodka
  • 1 ounce amaretto
  • ½ ounce Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur like Tia Maria)
  • 1 ½ ounces heavy cream
  • Freshly grated nutmeg, optional

Instructions

  1. Add the vodka, amaretto,, Kahlua and cream to a cocktail shaker. Fill it with ice and shake it until cold.
  2. Strain the drink into a lowball glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg if desired.

Notes

*To convert to tablespoons, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons

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About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Hi! We’re Sonja and Alex Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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5 Comments

  1. Margaret Schindler says:

    I used this as an inspiration (meaning I didn’t follow it exactly) but I used all the ingredients plus espresso Bailey’s, and it was perfect to satisfy my sweet tooth! Thank you so much

  2. Murloft says:

    Substituted vodka for cognac (henny) and cut back a tad on the cream – but was delish!!






  3. Kellen says:

    I’m wondering if egg white could be added to this?

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      I’m not sure what the interaction would be in this one without any citrus… let us know if you try it!

  4. Sonja Overhiser says:

    Let us know if you have any questions!