Name: The Boss
Total time: 2 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 50 ml Bourbon whiskey; 25 ml Amaretto liqueur

The Boss
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Glass:

Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
1 ²⁄₃ fl oz	Bourbon whiskey
⁵⁄₆ fl oz	Adriatico Amaretto Liqueur

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

How to make:

STIR all ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into ice-filled glass.

Garnish:

EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

Amaretto brilliantly enriches bourbon. I tried adding a couple of dashes of bitters but found myself preferring the simplicity of just the two ingredients.

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Variations/similar cocktails:

Godfather (Scotch whisky and amaretto); Godmother (vodka and amaretto); Godchild (brandy and amaretto)

History:

Adapted from a recipe in Stanley M. Jones' 1977 Jones' Complete Barguide:

(The) BOSS
Old Fashioned Glass
Build
1-1/2 oz Bourbon
1/2 oz Amaretto
Fill with ice
Stanley M. Jones, Jones' Complete Barguide, 1977

Godfather cocktail story and variations

Alcohol content:

1.7 standard drinks
30.97% alc./vol. (61.94° proof)
23.3 grams of pure alcohol

More Nightcap/sipping cocktails
More Short & stirred cocktails

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 6 comments for The Boss.
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Scott McIsaac

24th April at 22:08

I have a sentimental fondness for this one. When I was in college in the late 1970s, on the night when a girl I had a crush on told me she had chosen a rival suitor, a sympathetic bartender served me three of these gratis. He called it a Godfather (which according to Simon is made with scotch, not bourbon, but it's the same concoction no matter what you call it). I remember stumbling back to my dorm but not much else.

Lou Panetta

13th August 2025 at 23:46

Very smooth. The simplicity of this doesn't take away from how enjoyable it is. Made mine with 1792 Bourbon and Disaronno.

Graeme McPherson

22nd June 2025 at 23:06

Quite an enjoyable nightcap. Really smooth. A bit subtler than the Godfather.

Robert Dahlgren

6th September 2024 at 14:04

Wow! I really like Godfather, but didn't think that Bourbon would make that much a difference. I was wrong. Only had Maker's Mark at home but next time I'll try with a different one!

Juniper Lately

27th September 2023 at 19:48

Adapted slightly with 2oz bourbon, 3/4 oz amaretto, 1/4 oz luxardo maraschino. It was really delicious! After a hard day at work I’m calling this “Screw the Boss” ;)

Matt Musick

28th May 2025 at 02:25

I'd adapted this as well to these exact specs and called it "Glory Days" as a nod to "The Boss" Bruce Springsteen. Very tasty.

Kevin Haynes

16th December 2023 at 23:05

Excellent adaptation! Since there was Luxardo Maraschino in the cocktail, it absolutely needed a Luxardo Maraschino cherry as a garnish!

John Hinojos

22nd February 2022 at 04:43

Instead of bourbon, decided to use a double barrel American Whiskey with the final aging in port casks. It was great. Very smooth with the hints of almond. Great as a night cap.

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