One could argue that it is a historic day, as the second impeachment trial of the former president begins in the Capitol. You’d be right, of course. While that is certainly interesting, I don’t much care. I mean, I care more than many of the Senators present do, but not enough to dig into it, when there is something much more serious happening today. This is National Pizza Day. Admittedly, I do not hold with these manufactured holidays, possibly because I have been involved in helping to craft a few of them on the state and local level and I know their value. However, pizza. Yes, that is the crux of my entire defense. A defense at least as valid and stated far more succinctly than any other I have heard today. So, in the spirit of symbolic gestures full of sound and fury ultimately meaning nothing, well, nothing more than a full tummy, I invite you, honored members of the audience to join me now as we stand and make, The Godfather.

This one has somewhat murky origins. Like Godfather’s pizza, it had its heyday during the 70’s presumably based on the popularity of the movie of the same name. The prevailing story is that it was a favorite drink of Marlon Brando who played, the titular Godfather, Vito Corleone. Bartender Donato Artone claimed to have actually created it back in the 1950’s, allegedly. Of course, he also claimed to have invented the Harvey Wallbanger, the White Russian, the Rusty Nail and the Kamikaze among others with only his recollections offered into evidence. To be fair, this is a two ingredient cocktail so, as wonderful as it may be, pretty much anyone could have actually created it, accidentally. My bet is that some dude at a house party in Ibiza actually invented this at the end of the night trying to get rid of a couple of nearly empty bottles, before he had to rush over and flip the record.

Grab your tins and pop in 2 ounces of blended scotch, I went with Dewar’s White Label and 2/3 of an ounce of amaretto, I went with Disaronno. That’s it. Add ice and stir to the sounds of Coolio and “Gangster’s Paradise“. Keep the stir calm and don’t arouse any anger, just go with the flow. When well chilled, strain over a big rock and express an orange twist over the drink, twist it up and drop it in for a garnish, if that’s your thing.

It’s simple and booze forward, imagine that. Not a lot of depth here, but the sweet almond thing does bring interest to the scotch. Like most of these, your scotch choice is going to make a huge difference here. So, if you like this one, experiment; if you don’t like it, experiment.

Personally, I’m looking forward to a slice of thin crust with pepperoni, sausage, onions and jalapeños this evening. Not sure where we will order from yet, we are limited in our options out here in the country. I am certain it won’t be Godfather’s, since I am not even sure of they are around anymore. I never quite got the gangster connection, I mean stereotypes, sure. Pizza is Italian, the guys in The Godfather were too, but we are better than that aren’t we? I mean, in this enlightened age we understand that organized crime happened in lots of places across many ethnicities and nationalities. Did I say happened, I mean still happens and the field is as diverse now, as it was when the movies were selling us a mafia story told from their point of view.

Point of view matters and you have got to be able to look at all sides of things, whether you agree or not. When you get to where you aren’t willing to even consider someone else’s viewpoint, well, you aren’t going to be able to move forward. Speaking of organized crime, I listened to the opening arguments and the defense rebuttal at the Capitol today. All I am saying is, the pizza defense is totally valid. Even if it doesn’t make sense, you know you are going to acquit, so why pretend to listen and put the rest of us through having to listen to the rambling often contradictory remarks. Just pull a My Cousin Vinny and reply nuh-uh and sit back down when asked to respond, don’t forget today “thank you”. To be fair, I brought it on myself. I listen to hear everything that was said, firsthand, rather than having to fish through the stories from different sources in order to be informed. Whether by design or not, if you aren’t getting your info from multiple sources, preferably some in opposition to each other, you aren’t informed. Honestly, if you mostly agree with everything you are hearing, you probably should look for some other viewpoints. There is a big difference between being informed and being entertained. Avoid infotainment or at least acknowledge that you are watching the spectacle, not learning anything. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you know it and you have some pizza and a drink to wash it down. Stay safe, stay hydrated and stay sane, my friends.