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
Measures below are multiplied for 6 drinks. Unmeasurable amounts such as “a splash” are left as written.
- 210 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 210 ml line. Scotch whisky
- 210 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 210 ml line. Amaretto - Disaronno, or whatever almond liqueur the cupboard holds
- 1420 ml Measuring jug A measuring jug: pour to the 1420 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
Pitcher (6 drinks)Pitcher (6 drinks) - about 1.84 l of measured ingredients, before ice and dilution.
Timings and per-glass steps below are written for one drink and are not scaled. A full jug takes longer to chill, so stir or shake until it is properly cold rather than by the clock, and pour over fresh ice one glass at a time.
- 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
Volumes in this story are multiplied for the size above, along with the ingredients. Years, ratios and the capacities of glasses and jugs are left as written.
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