Duo drinks are classified as such because they consist of two ingredients; a base spirit and liqueur. When learning about families of drinks, the set of Godfather, Godmother and their respective cousins; Rusty Nail, French Connection, etc. Each uses one base spirit and one base liqueur.

{Post updated March 2016}

Some prefer equal parts base spirit to liqueur. I’m not a huge sweet cocktail fan, so my personal preference is more base spirit with much lighter touch on the liqueur. Play with the ratios in any of the duo drinks below to find your ratio sweet spot.

Many duo drinks, including the ones below, do not call for garnish. But many benefit from fresh citrus peel zested over the top. Use your best judgment and experiment a little.

Mother Ginger Duo Drink

My personal favorite is similar to the Godmother, but I prefer to use rum instead of vodka. Where vodka is crisp and clean, rum is smooth and buttery. Deeply spiced dark rum is also terrific to pair with Amaretto. I couldn’t find a specific name for this combination, so let’s just call it Mother Ginger for now.

Mother Ginger – recipe adaption by Cheri Loughlin

1-3/4 ounces Ginger Spiced Rum

1/4 ounce Amaretto Liqueur

Combine liquids in an Old Fashioned glass over fresh ice. Stir. Fresh orange twist makes this divine!

More Amaretto Duo Drinks

The Godfather drink is a mix of scotch and amaretto. The Godmother flips the base spirit to vodka, keeping the amaretto liqueur. Royal Widow and Widow’s Cork each pair a different base spirit while keeping amaretto liqueur. In the case of each recipe below I would start with 1-1/2 ounce base spirit and 1/4 ounce amaretto and taste from there until the ratios are perfect for my palate.

Godmother

2 ounces Vodka

1 ounce Amaretto Liqueur

Combine liquids in an Old Fashioned glass over fresh ice. Stir.

J.R. Special

2 ounces Bourbon

1/2 ounce Amaretto Liqueur

Combine liquids in an Old Fashioned glass over fresh ice. Stir.

Royal Widow

1-1/2 ounce Canadian Whisky

1-1/2 ounce Amaretto Liqueur

Combine liquids in an Old Fashioned glass over fresh ice. Stir.

Widow’s Cork

1 ounce Irish Whiskey

1 ounce Amaretto Liqueur

Combine liquids in an Old Fashioned glass over fresh ice. Stir.

French Connection

1 ounce Cognac

1 ounce Amaretto Liqueur

Combine liquids in an Old Fashioned glass over fresh ice. Stir.

Bohemian

1/2 ounce Absinthe

1-1/2 ounce Amaretto Liqueur

Combine liquids in an Old Fashioned glass over ice. Stir. Ingredients could also be placed in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until well-chilled. Strain into chilled rocks glass no ice.

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Cheri Loughlin is the Omaha writer and photographer behind www.intoxicologist.net and author of Cocktails with a Tryst: An Affair with Mixology and Seduction. You can email Cheri with comments and questions at str8upcocktails@gmail.com.