Step-Father (Original Recipe)

The Godfather family of cocktails has a new member--the Step-Father. Amaretto and Ricard pastis taste great together, so I don't know why this hasn't been tried before. I was inspired by the French Connection in this cross-nationalities cocktail that is just as simple to make and easy to order, if you are at a French restaurant that carries Ricard or some other pastis.

• 1 1/2 oz. Ricard
• 1 oz. amaretto

Stir ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Godmother

If your godmother is Russian or Italian, then this is a good comfort drink for you. Actually, it is an offshoot of the Godfather, which is a scotch and amaretto cocktail of larger proportions. With that one, amaretto softens and sweetens the scotch. For this cocktail, the amaretto is the expensive ingredient and it is blended down by a larger component of vodka.

It's a great holiday drink that's rich and tastes like amaretto cookies and nothing else. I used Stolichnaya vodka, which is very pleasant and mild. The whole effect is like sipping marzipan.

• 2 oz. vodka (Stolichnaya used)
• 1 oz. amaretto (Lazzaroni used)

Build drink in an Old Fashioned glass full of ice and stir well.