French Connection Recipe

About the French Connection

The IBA lists French Connection among its "Contemporary Classics," though no single bartender is credited with inventing it — it emerged sometime in the mid-20th century as combining spirits for a simple sipper became fashionable. The name is widely believed to nod to the 1971 crime film of the same title, riding the film's cultural moment rather than being tied to it by any documented story. What the drink actually does is bridge two countries in one glass: French cognac's oaky warmth meets Italian amaretto's sweet almond note, simple enough to make blind but balanced enough to have stuck around for decades. It remains one of the easiest "real" cocktails to make with a bar cart holding exactly two bottles.

Method

1. Fill the glass with ice.
2. Measure and pour the amaretto into the glass.
3. Measure and pour the cognac over the amaretto.
4. Stir for 5 seconds.