Godfather

Scotch and Disaronno — named for Coppola's 1972 film, the Italian amaretto's Saronno heritage pairing with Scotch in a smooth two-ingredient glass.

The Godfather is a simple two-ingredient Scotch cocktail combining the spirit with Disaronno — the Italian amaretto liqueur produced by Illva Saronno in Saronno, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. The liqueur, marketed as Amaretto di Saronno until the Disaronno brand name was introduced in 2001, claims a recipe heritage dating to 1525 in the town of Saronno, though the company's continuous commercial history begins in the 20th century. Disaronno's significant expansion into the American market occurred through the 1970s, driven by advertising campaigns and the growing American appetite for Italian aperitivi and digestivi. The Godfather cocktail's name references Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, released in March 1972 — the film adaptation of Mario Puzo's 1969 novel, which became one of the highest-grossing films in American history and a defining cultural event whose Italian-American subject matter made the Italian amaretto pairing commercially appealing. The Godfather Cocktail's two-ingredient simplicity — Scotch whisky on ice with a measure of amaretto — produces a smooth, subtly almond-and-caramel drink that became a staple of American hotel bars and supper clubs. A Godmother uses vodka instead of Scotch.