Mamie Taylor
60 ml Scotch whisky, 20 ml Lime juice, 100 ml Ginger ale, 1 Lime wedge
Godfather
Scotch and amaretto, two ingredients and an unfashionable amount of charm.
Classic
Easy
2 min
Photo: The Godfather (Drink) · All credits
Ingredients
- 35 ml Jigger One small side (25 ml) of a standard jigger, plus two teaspoons. Scotch whisky
- 35 ml Jigger One small side (25 ml) of a standard jigger, plus two teaspoons. Amaretto - Disaronno, or whatever almond liqueur the cupboard holds
- 237 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 237 ml line. Ice
Measured in Millilitres (UK). Sign in to read these in American measures. Print a kitchen card at this size.
What the jigger, the spoons and the jug hold, in millilitres and in fluid ounces, is on the measures reference.
Quick version
- Equal Scotch and amaretto over ice, stir, done.
Method
- Fill a rocks glass with ice.
- Pour in the Scotch and the amaretto in equal measure.
- Stir gently for ten seconds.
- Serve as it is - there is no garnish, and there never was.
Serve it
Godfather
The name dates from the 1970s and the film of the same name; the drink itself is older - a Scots-Italian marriage of whisky and almond liqueur that has been poured in Italian-American bars for a century. It is also the best argument there is for keeping two very different bottles on the shelf, since together they taste like neither.
Getting it right
Equal parts is the well-known build and the sweetest; if you would rather taste the whisky, go two to one in its favour, which is the version most modern bars pour. Whatever the ratio, stir it - almond liqueur and ice shaken together go cloudy and thin, and this drink should look like amber glass. A smoky or peaty Scotch fights the amaretto rather than complementing it; a smooth, honeyed blend is the better partner.
Tasting notes
Marzipan and almond up front, then malt and a slow, warm smoke underneath, with a sweet, satisfyingly long finish. Rich, simple and immediately comforting.
Swap the Scotch for vodka and you have a Godmother; swap it for cream and you have an Amaretto Sour's much lazier cousin.
More Scotch whisky cocktails
Penicillin
60 ml Scotch whisky, 20 ml Lemon juice, 20 ml Honey syrup, 1 slice Ginger, 7.5 ml Mezcal, 1 piece Crystallised ginger
Rob Roy
60 ml Scotch whisky, 30 ml Sweet vermouth, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 1 Maraschino cherry