{"id":1803,"date":"2025-03-02T22:12:47","date_gmt":"2025-03-02T22:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.craigsilliphant.com\/?p=1803"},"modified":"2026-11-07T14:23:05","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T14:23:05","slug":"cocktail-hour-the-southern-gentlemans-godfather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.craigsilliphant.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/02\/cocktail-hour-the-southern-gentlemans-godfather\/","title":{"rendered":"Cocktail Hour – The (Lazy) Southern Gentleman’s Godfather"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
For free articles straight to your inbox, click and subscribe! Cheers!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

When people come over to my house for a dashing evening of snacks, records, and conversation, they often partake of one of my signature cocktails. There are a few different drinks that I pour, but my go-to is the Godfather<\/em>. I used to make Old Fashioneds<\/em> for guests, but after discovering the Godfather, I realized that less effort was the way to go for a quick, boozy treat. Why muddle, measure, and prep garnishes when I could just pour and stir? Work smarter, not harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A true Godfather is made with Scotch and amaretto. But after one too many nights drinking Scotch to excess in my 20s, I don\u2019t enjoy it like I used to. Call it liquor PTSD or spirit trauma, but the taste reminds me of waking up with a splitting headache and a taste in my mouth like someone was using it for an ashtray. I also feel like mixing Scotch with anything is sacrilegious, like putting ketchup on a steak. Sure, you can<\/em> do it, but that doesn\u2019t mean you should<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Godfather itself became popular in the 1970s, likely named after The Godfather<\/em> movie, though there\u2019s no actual connection I\u2019m aware of. Maybe someone thought it was a drink worthy of Don Corleone, or maybe they just wanted to sound tough while sipping something sweet. Maybe it\u2019s because amaretto is Italian. Either way, it became a classic after-dinner drink, thanks to its slightly sweet, nutty profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Scotch and I are on a break, my alcohol of choice for the last decade or so has been bourbon. So I adapted the Godfather to use bourbon, because true innovation is just lazy theft with a personal twist. Bourbon is actually considered an acceptable substitute, so I\u2019m not doing anything freaky over here. I like to call it A Southern Gentleman\u2019s Godfather<\/em> — because it sounds refined, even if you\u2019re drinking it in sweatpants. Though usually, my friends and I just refer to it as a Godfather, with that adapted recipe understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you want to get fancy — or just impress your friends by rattling off obscure cocktail variations — there are plenty of ways to tweak the Godfather. Swap the Scotch for vodka, and you\u2019ve got The Godmother<\/em>, a drink that\u2019s smooth but morally ambiguous. Prefer something a little more sophisticated? The French Connection<\/em> trades Scotch for cognac, also referencing a staple film of the 1970s. And if you think your Godfather should taste like a moonlight milkshake, there\u2019s The Godchild<\/em>, which replaces Scotch with cream for a lower-alcohol dessert drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But back to the bourbon; it\u2019s sweeter and less smoky than Scotch, which makes the drink smoother and more caramel-forward. The vanilla, caramel, and spice notes in bourbon pair beautifully with the almond richness of amaretto. Plus, it\u2019s less peaty, so if you\u2019re not a fan of drinking something that tastes like a campfire, this is the way to go. I usually use Bulleit Bourbon, but since Christmas of last year I\u2019ve been using Basil Hayden, a thoughtful gift from my staff, who clearly know me well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My version strays even further from tradition. The usual ratio in the original Godfather is 2 oz of Scotch and \u00bc oz of amaretto. Instead, I go with a 1:1 mix — one ounce of bourbon, one ounce of amaretto. This keeps the amaretto from getting lost while still letting the bourbon shine. It\u2019s a solid way to enjoy the drink without it being too boozy or too sweet. It\u2019s also faster to measure — a shot of each in a tumbler with ice. I suppose you could<\/em> add a dash of bitters or even some soda, but that\u2019s starting to sound like effort again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no widely recognized name for my exact ratio, but again, it\u2019s still considered a variation of the Godfather. I prefer the 1:1 approach because it smooths out the booze while keeping the almond flavor more pronounced. It\u2019s also easy to order in a bar where they don\u2019t know what a Godfather is; the drink, once popular in the 70s and 80s, eventually fell out of favour. You just ask for a shot of bourbon and a shot of amaretto in a short glass on ice. Done. Simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Whatever you call it, and whatever ratio you prefer, The Godfather is an easy, delicious way to drink like a boss — or offer your guests a tasty libation they can\u2019t refuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bourbon Godfather \/ Southern Gentleman\u2019s Godfather \/ Craig\u2019s Godfather<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serve in a short tumbler on ice<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 oz bourbon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 oz amaretto<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
Don’t forget to click to subscribe so we can share a drink together…well…virtually, anyway.<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When people come over to my house for a dashing evening of snacks, records, and conversation, they often partake of one of my signature cocktails. There are a few different…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1809,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[330,57],"tags":[337,335,332,331,336],"class_list":["post-1803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-booze","category-writing","tag-amaretto","tag-bourbon","tag-cocktails","tag-godfather","tag-scotch","article","has-excerpt","has-avatar","has-author","has-date","has-comment-count","has-category-meta","has-read-more","thumbnail-"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t