Sidecar Cocktail- An old classic for a reason!

It's New Year's eve and it's time for a classic cocktail!

It's funny because I'd always heard of this cocktail but never tried one.  We were recently on a cruise, and the drinks were included for "free". As I waited patiently at the bar to get our drinks, a young gal next to me started chatting about what my favorite drinks were so far. So far?  Heck, I'd been drinking the prosseco and not much else. She told me that she and her boyfriend were working their way through the cocktail menu... omg, how smart is she?  She mentioned her faves and we parted ways.  When I got back to our 'game table' with our buddies, I started to peruse the cocktail menu.  A Sidecar?  Hmmmm.... anything with Grand Marnier is good with me, so I tried one. WOW!  I love them!  

We've been home over the holidays and since it was New Year's Eve, started talking about having a cocktail.  We searched through the liquor cabinet, looking for brandy with no avail. However, we did find an almost empty Courvoisier bottle. Perfect! Cognac is a type of French brandy. 

Please note, some recipes call for Triple Sec instead of Grand Marnier. Both are mostly citrus liqueurs but I whole-heartedly recommend the Grand Marnier instead!  

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients

1 jigger cognac, or brandy 

1/2 jigger Grand Marnier, or Cointreau

1/4 jigger of lemon juice (i used a 1/2 jigger, as i like it sour)

You can pour this over ice in a martini shaker and drink it 'straight up' like I have photographed, but it is also delicious over ice in a double .  A sugared rim is traditional for a Sidecar, but I skipped that here. 

A jigger is one of those metal measuring cups that bartenders use, but any measuring cup would work, just keep the ratios. I easily doubled this recipe....2 jiggers brandy, 1 jigger Grand Marnier and 1 jigger lemon juice.

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Paper Airplane Cocktail

 

Just about the easiest cocktail ever.  Equal parts of 4 things...

OK, so you do have to buy a couple special ingredients, namely the Aperol and the Amaro. There are dozens of types of Amaro, and technically Aperol is also an Amaro.  Amaro is an Italian bitter-sweet herbal mixture, sometimes sipped on its own, but I like to add it to other cocktails! Be sure to Google Amaro and read up on the many varieties available. 

I'd bought my Aperol when I came through Duty Free a couple years ago, and frankly I hadn't used it that much and it was staring at me in all it's orange glory.  Now I'm sure you're saying "why not an Aperol Spritz?".  Well folks, I am one those people who really do not like my wine mixed with Aperol and topped with soda water. Refreshing?  Yes! Still, it is not my favorite, give me a nice sauvignon blanc or a rose on a hot summer's day and I will be much happier,

My love of this cocktail and Amaro comes from a local Italian place called Amaro Bistro!  At our first happy hour there, I had the good foresight to order "the paper airplane".  This cocktail feels like a classic that's been around for a long time, but apparently invented by a NYC bartender in 2007.

P.S. I am sure you can see that we started this cocktail well before it was 5pm.... like they say, it was 5pm somewhere! It was the perfect Sunday afternoon Covid cocktail!

This recipe makes two small cocktails:

1 jigger amaro di Nonna (dark amaro)

1 jigger Aperol amaro

1 jigger of bourbon or rye

1 jigger of lemon juice

**Now a jigger is about 1.5 oz measure (like in the picture below), where I filled it up 4 times, once with each ingredient above. I added it to a ice filled martini shaker and shake, shake, shake, I added it to our cute little glasses.

*You can use any measuring device... a 1/4 cup measure would work well too and produce two slightly larger martinis (win, win!)

I chose to garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme (but rosemary would work too) and a little curl of lemon zest. Honestly? It doesn't even need a garnish...

The Devereaux Cocktail

I've had this recipe earmarked forever, and today was totally the day!

While this is called the Devereaux cocktail, we should probably call it the 20/20 cocktail. After quarantine, protests, terrible politics and now thick heavy smoke from terrible fires on the West coast, we could all use a happy little drink.

This.one.is.happy!

Rye whisky is not often pared with elder flower liqueur and bubbly wine, but throw in a little lemon and you have yourself some liquid sunshine!  We both needed that today! My first taste of this cocktail was surprising, I didn't know what to expect, but it was not as sweet as I thought it might be. Almost like sparkly lemonade! Very happy! 

I did adjust the amount of St Germain liqueur in the recipe after the first taste, because I happen to love, love, love it, and frankly the original amount of 1/2 oz wasn't enough to notice it in the cocktail, the original recipe is here.

Makes 1

Ingredients

1 oz bourbon
3/4 oz St Germain liqueur
1/2 oz lemon juice (fresh)
1/2 oz simple syrup
3 oz sparkling wine (I used Prosseco)

Lemon peel, twisted into a curl

A mint leaf garnish would be nice it you have one, or even a basil leaf.

Fill a tall glass with ice and pour in all the booze, lemon and simple syrup, ending with the prosecco or other sparkling wine.

Need another cocktail, check out my others on my cocktail fun page on my blog! 

Paper Airplane Martini

A little paper airplane won't hurt you, now will it?
LOL, better be careful with these, they are strong and yummy, and taste like one more!

I had this cocktail first at the Amaro Bistro in Bothell, but apparently the Paper Airplane cocktail was invented about 10 years ago by a famous NY bartender, Sam Ross.  It's said to "take the math out of mixing"- from the easy 4 equal measures.  Kind of a whiskey sour with a wonderful herbal complexity of the amaro.

Makes 1 big martini
Ingredients

1 ounce bourbon or rye whiskey (I used Bullet Rye)

1 ounce Nonino amaro (bittersweet Italian liqueur)

1 ounce Aperol (bitter orange Italian aperitif)

1 ounce fresh lemon juice

As you can see below, I squeezed two meyer lemons and got 2 ounces of juice, therefore, it was easy to add 2 ounces of each of the other ingredients (magic potions) to make a batch for two. 

In a shaker filled with ice, add all the ingredients and shake, shake, shake.  Strain into martini glasses and enjoy!

Note: On first taste, my hubby said "it's pretty bitter", which is from the two types of amaro.  Mixed with the whiskey and lemon juice it is the right amount of sweet, tart and bitter (and booze).  On second taste, he said "it's totally fine".
I agree, a paper airplane is totally fine.

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St Germain Manhattan

Tis the season to be jolly, right?

I've been a little remiss lately and it has been a couple months since I last posted.  You know, sometimes has a way of getting in the way of things we like to do.  We all get busy, but always remember to do the things that give you joy.  LOL, that is blogging and making cocktails for friends and family too.  This is the perfect time of the year to do that.

Manhattan's are always yummy, but this one has a great "light" twist by using dry vermouth and St. Germain.  I highly recommend this one.  I intend to make some more of these, but I am going to have to head to the liquor store to pick up my single most favorite liqueur of all time, St. Germain.

Have a safe and fun New Year's. I wish you health, happiness and joy in 2018.

Makes 1 (but easy to double)
Ingredients

2 parts Bourbon
1 part St. Germain (elder flower liqueur)
1/2 part dry vermouth (or dry white wine works too)
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Garnish with maraschino cherry or orange twist and serve over ice, or straight up in a martini glass.  This is a strong drink... so I like the way the ice mellows it.

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Pineapple Coconut Margarita

Summer is in full swing and there is nothing like a margarita on the deck to enjoy it to it's fullest. Here's a tasty little combination of pineapple, coconut rum and tequila.  Throw in some lime and a salted rim and you have yourself a delicious pineapple coconut margarita.

In this recipe I include some pineapple coconut water. Now, normally, I do not like coconut water, I think it tastes kind of icky, however mixed with tequila and coconut rum, it is quite yummy.  Hahaha, isn't that amazing how that works?  I realize that you may not have any of this ingredient around, and so therefore, I recommend that you use two jiggers of straight pineapple juice instead. 

Please often ask about the "jigger" that I refer to in my drinks...

A jigger is an hourglass-shaped measuring device used by bartenders to ensure that they pour accurate amounts of alcohol into every drink. Usually made of metal (and sometimes plastic), jiggers contain two different measuring amounts – one on either side of the hourglass. A jigger of alcohol refers to 1.5 ounces and 1 ounce on the other side. 

Makes 1 large margarita
Ingredients

1 jigger Coconut rum
1 jigger Tequila
1 jigger Pineapple juice
1 jigger coconut-pineapple water (or substitute another 1 jigger of pineapple juice)
1/2 jigger Triple sec
1/2 lime, juiced
10-12 ice cubes

Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth.  Serve in a salted rimmed glass with another wedge of lime.


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Boulevardier Cocktail

It's just fun to say!
Try it, let it roll off your tongue.
Bo UL le var de A
Welcome to my phonetics, I just made that up.
Add a little French accent twist when you say it, and I think you got this down.

If you like Manhattens, or Old Fashions, then I think you will like this.
A Lot.
Apparently this is the same as a Negroni (but no gin), which is exactly why I like it better. Though this one is pretty good, Amaro Negroni
Wikipedia says it's similar to an "Old Pal".

Makes 1
Ingredients

1 big jigger rye whiskey (or bourbon)
1 sm jigger Campari
1 sm jigger Sweet Vermouth (red)
Orange twist
A marschino cherry (not traditional, but recommended)

Fill up a shaker with ice, pour all the booze over the ice.
Shake, shake, shake.
Twist your orange peel over the glass and pour the boulevardier over the top.

NOTE- You can also serve this over the rocks (ice cubes) instead of straight up in a martini glass.

Enjoy!

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The Old Pal Martini

I read a hilarious article in Elle Decor which matched cocktails with your Zodiac sign.
Hahaha, I thought it was ridiculous, until I read what they matched me with.
Perfect!
Here's the article, if you are interested.
It said I was Loyal, Straightforward and Ambitious, just like this cocktail!

Makes 1 large cocktail

Ingredients

2 oz. rye whiskey

1 oz. Campari

1 oz. dry French vermouth (white)

Lemon twist, for garnish

Stir whiskey, Campari, and vermouth in an ice-filled shaker. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass; garnish with lemon twist.

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Chambord "Christmas" Margarita

Ho, ho, ho.
Christmas says Mexican food to me.
Actually anytime says Mexican food to me!  Hahaha.
This is a beautiful, festive drink that is tangy and tasty but not too sweet!  We had this with some simple tacos for dinner last night, but it would be a nice cocktail for a holiday get together too.

Serves 2 big margaritas (with refills)  Or, maybe 4 normal size margaritas...

Ingredients

6oz tequila

3oz fresh lime juice, plus some for garnish

2oz simple syrup

2oz chambord
2 oz cranberry juice
 

Sweet, Salty Lime margarita salt:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup salt

zest of 1 lime

Fill a blender with about 3 cups of ice.  Add tequila, lime juice, simple syrup, cranberry juice and Chambord and blend until smooth.  If needed for thicker margaritas, add more ice. Place salty and sweet lime margarita salt in a shallow dish then run a lime wedge around the rim of 2 cocktail glasses and dunk into lime sugar. Fill glasses with margaritas, garnish with a lime wheel, or wedge, and serve.













For the salty and sweet lime margarita salt: Add sugar, salt, and lime zest to a food processor or blender then process until smooth. You will have leftover margarita salt, but it will last a long time.  I must admit, I tossed a teaspoon into my salsa too.  

My view from my chair last night.  You can see I need to buy more Christmas china, haha.

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Blood & Sand Cocktail

An intense cocktail, not for the faint of heart.

Our server at Din Tai Fung (a fantastic world wide restaurant chain known for their dumplings) cautioned my hubby that this one was one of the stronger cocktails.  Did he still want it?
Yes, yes he did. 

Makes 1
Ingredients

1 oz. scotch

3⁄4 oz. Cherry Heering liqueur

3⁄4 oz. sweet vermouth

3⁄4 oz. fresh orange juice

Pour all the ingredients into an ice filled shaker.  Shake, shake, shake.  Strain into a glass, garnish with some orange peel, or a little slice of orange.  Serve at once.

Yummy.

Strong.

Here's a copy of the drink menu at Din Tai Fung that night.  Taking a picture of the drink menu is one of my favorite ways to take note of some interesting cocktails.  I need to make that Taiwan Sunset soon.

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Honeydew Caipirissima

 A nod to the Olympics in Rio with a cocktail!

Brazil is well know for a cocktail called the caipirinha made with cachaça.

Hmmm, I am fresh out of cachaça. 
Which happens to be a booze made out of sugar cane juice, sounds nice actually, but hard to find.

Therefore, I am making this Caipirissima as it calls for good ole rum which I happen to have plenty of.  Part of this traditional cocktail always includes muddling some fruit and limes (always)..  We have plenty, plenty, plenty of fresh blackberries right now, so that's what I planned to use... except, I had this honeydew cut up and ready to go, so that's what I used.

Feel free to try this same technique with other seasonal fruit.  I also think that frozen (and thawed) fruit would work nicely for muddling too!
I'd liked it so much I am going to try it with fresh blackberries real soon!

Top it off with club soda if you'd like something to sip in larger quantities.

Serves 1 (I doubled it... because that is nice!)

Ingredients

3/4 ounce simple syrup (about a tablespoon), I used lemon 
1/2 cup of fresh honeydew
1/2 a lime, juiced 
2 ounces white rum (I used Bacardi Lemon for added tang)

In a cocktail shaker, press and mix the simple syrup, fruit and lime with a muddler or wooden spoon trying to get the maximum of fruit juice out of the fruit. Add the rum and some ice. Shake hard and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.  Garnish with a wedge of lime.

You may need a strainer like this one as the chunks of fruit kind of jam up your regular cocktail shaker.

Also, you could easily strain into a martini glass and drink it that way!

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