In December, my wife and I hosted our annual holiday cocktail party at the Brooklyn apartment. Keeping with tradition I bartended and served Italian inspired cocktails such as Negronis, Limoncello Martini, etc. One of our guests, a dear friend, showed up with a bottle of DiSaronno Amaretto liquor instead of an Amaro. Of course, the jokes started flying fast. There was a almost a DiSaronno ice licking contest at the bar a la the infamous TV advertisement with the gorgeous red head! The girls - already tipsy drinking neapolitan Blood Orange Bellinis - began boasting of their ice licking prowess. Unfortunately, the contest never happened - the ragazze polished off a bottle of Limoncello instead! So I put the DiSaronno under the bar since I usually do not drink Amaretto, I find it too sweet. However, its presence at my home bar peaked my interest. What kind of cocktails could one make with the almond flavored liquer?
I consulted the "Good Book" aka ubermixologist Dale DeGroff's The Craft of the Cocktail. I found a cocktail that was right up my alley - The Godfather! This cocktail calls for equal parts Scotch and Amaretto. To my surprise, the Scotch was complimented by the Amaretto in a manner reminiscent of a Rusty Nail. I also added a lemon peel to cut the sweetness of the Amaretto and to give the drink a true Sicilian flavor.
The GODFATHER
1 oz. Amaretto
1 oz. Scotch (I used Dewar's)
Twist of lemon
Pour over ice in a rocks glass, and stir. Then drink to the last drop and refresh!
Centanno!
