According to legend, this creamy liquor has been around since 1525 when one of Leonardo da Vinci's pupils, Bernardino Luini was commissioned to paint a fresco for a church in Saronno. Bernardino needed a model to help him get the look of Mother Mary just right and found inspiration in a young, sad, widowed innkeeper. Out of gratitude, she wanted to give him a gift. Being a woman of limited means, she steeped apricot kernels in brandy and presented the bottle to the young artist, who claimed to love it. While no one knows how completely true that tale is, the sweet, alluring taste of Amaretto is certainly real, which inspired us to made this delicious cheesecake, and create a legend all our own.