With so many delicious ways to make cocktails, it’s easy to see why there are so many mixed drinks in the world. The best and most popular cocktails of all time are iconic not only in taste and appearance, but also in name. Some cocktails are named after their appearance, others after people, but every now and then you get cocktails named after famous movies, which sounds enticing and fun on top of being an excellent drink.
Movie buffs easily recognize what the French Connection and Godfather cocktails are named after. What isn’t so easy is telling the difference between the two since they look similar in color and share the great trait of being made with only two ingredients, one of which is amaretto. The second ingredient is the drinks’ biggest difference: The French Connection uses cognac while the Godfather uses scotch. Another difference is that the Godfather uses slightly more alcohol than the French Connection, but not enough to really differentiate the two on sight. Their recipes are easy to memorize and perfect for a movie-themed cocktail night.
A tale of two cocktails
The French Connection cocktail first emerged in the early 1970s. Other than what the cocktail was named after, its history is quite muddled and there’s no record of who created it. However, the recipe has been clearly recorded throughout the years and the drink remains popular due to how easy it is to make: A French Connection is an even split of cognac, which is not to be confused with brandy, and amaretto, an Italian almond liqueur. Recipes do not specify a particular cognac or amaretto to use, so feel free to use your favorites; simply add ice to a glass, pour the spirits in, and mix. Serve immediately, typically as an after dinner drink.
The Godfather cocktail has a similar history. It emerged in the same time period, was named after an iconic film, and has little else documented about it other than its recipe, which is a near identical process to that of the French Connection: just use scotch, which is not to be confused with Irish whiskey, instead of cognac. Unlike the French Connection, there are a few more variations of the Godfather out there, including recipes that use bourbon instead of scotch or that add drops of bitters to the drink.
