The Sidecar was best known to me as the favorite cocktail of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Oddly enough, the Wikipedia article on the Sidecar does not mention her, but it does mention the drinks appearance in The Princess Diaries, Auntie Mame, and Bonfire of the Vanities. Maybe my memory is a bit off on that one.
The origin of the Sidecar is not clear, but it seems to have first showed up in England or France around the time of World War I. What also is not clear, is exactly how to make a Sidecar. The ingredients are pretty consistent across recipes: brandy or cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice. However, the ratio of these ingredients ranges from 4 parts brandy to 1 part Cointreau and 1 part lemon juice all the way to equal portions of each.
We went to the milder end of this range and used equal parts of brandy, Cointreau, and lemon juice. And once again, we ended up with a great drink. Slightly sweet, from the Cointreau and very sour, from the lemon juice with strong undertones of brandy flavor. It hits you with tartness and then the other flavors develop on your tongue. Another keeper, and I don't think we will even try the other ratios. This one is perfect.
A theme seems to be developing here. Good cocktails have a depth and complexity of flavors. The taste you get when they first hit your tongue is usually something sharp, to get your attention, and then it melts away and the other flavors develop over a few seconds. You ponder those flavors, and then try it again to see if you perceive the same sensations the second time. It is not what I expected when we started this experiment, but it makes sense and helps to show why people like cocktails.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
What is next?
If anyone ever reads this blog - hey, maybe you are the first! - you are welcome to leave suggestions about drinks to try or to drop tidbits about drinks we have already tried. We do not know where we are headed, so you can help steer this train.
Week 5 - Harvey Wallbanger
I never knew anything about the Harvey Wallbanger except that it has a funny name. According to the linked Wikipedia article, one legend about the name is that came from a California surfer dude, named Tom Harvey, who liked to drink the special screwdrivers at Donato "Duke" Antone's Blackwatch bar. The screwdrivers were made special with the addition of Galliano liquer. After having too many drinks Mr. Harvey would get tipsy and bang into the walls as he tried to walk. Ha, ha.
Back to The Bartender's Bible for the recipe.
This drink scared me as I was making it. Galliano is an Italian herbal liquer. It has a strong anise aroma, and I do not care for anise. I was prepared not to like this drink at all. So, what a surprise when I first tasted it. The Galliano fades into the background and adds complex undertones of herbal flavors. It truly is a special screwdriver with much more depth than just vodka and orange juice.
Another keeper. I am going to have to get a bigger bar if this keeps up.
Back to The Bartender's Bible for the recipe.
- 1.5 oz vodka
- 1/2 oz Galliano
- 4 oz orange juice
This drink scared me as I was making it. Galliano is an Italian herbal liquer. It has a strong anise aroma, and I do not care for anise. I was prepared not to like this drink at all. So, what a surprise when I first tasted it. The Galliano fades into the background and adds complex undertones of herbal flavors. It truly is a special screwdriver with much more depth than just vodka and orange juice.
Another keeper. I am going to have to get a bigger bar if this keeps up.
Week 4 - Singapore Sling
What is with all these hot weather drinks in the middle of winter? Well, we are not being very systematic about the order of drinks. Whatever strikes our fancy is what we have. Besides, it never gets very cold here, so we can have a cool, refreshing drink whenever we want.
We selected the Singapore Sling this week because we were cooking Singaporean Black Pepper Crab from James Oseland's Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. It also includes a recipe for a Singapore Sling. We can highly recommend both the crab and the sling, especially in combination. The fruity coolness of the Singapore Sling perfectly balances the spiciness of the crab. The book is full stories about Southeast Asia, its food traditions, and recipes. Based on how good these two recipes worked out, we cannot wait to try more.
Unfortunately, I do not have the book here right now, so I cannot give you the exact recipe. The closest I can find is the original recipe from the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Apparently, there are many different recipes for Singapore Slings with large differences in ingredients. There is one type of sling made in the Raffles Hotel and other types in Singapore at large.
It is a very fruity drink, dominated by the pineapple juice. Again, it will be nice on a hot summer day; although, I might not be as quick to make this as a gimlet given how much simpler the gimlet is.
We selected the Singapore Sling this week because we were cooking Singaporean Black Pepper Crab from James Oseland's Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. It also includes a recipe for a Singapore Sling. We can highly recommend both the crab and the sling, especially in combination. The fruity coolness of the Singapore Sling perfectly balances the spiciness of the crab. The book is full stories about Southeast Asia, its food traditions, and recipes. Based on how good these two recipes worked out, we cannot wait to try more.
Unfortunately, I do not have the book here right now, so I cannot give you the exact recipe. The closest I can find is the original recipe from the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Apparently, there are many different recipes for Singapore Slings with large differences in ingredients. There is one type of sling made in the Raffles Hotel and other types in Singapore at large.
It is a very fruity drink, dominated by the pineapple juice. Again, it will be nice on a hot summer day; although, I might not be as quick to make this as a gimlet given how much simpler the gimlet is.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Week 3 - Manhattan
We try another classic this week, the Manhattan. The Manhattan was supposedly created for Lady Jenny Churchill, the mother of Sir Winston. It was created at the Manhattan Club in New York.
The recipe is again from The Bartender's Bible.
Use a good whiskey for this drink because it will dominate the taste. This version of the Manhattan is not as sweet as others I have had, but I think that is what I like about it. Not a bad drink, but not one of my all-time favorites.
By coincidence, we went to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth this week for a preview screening of HBO's documentary, The Gates,which documents Christo and Jeanne-Paul's 2005 public art installation in Central Park. HBO held a Manhattan-themed reception beforehand with various New York City foods, including Manhattans. They made the sweeter variety, which were not bad, but not as good as the straighter version from The Bartender's Bible.
The recipe is again from The Bartender's Bible.
- 2 oz blended whiskey
- 3/4 oz sweet vermouth
- 3 dashes bitters
- 1 maraschino cherry
Use a good whiskey for this drink because it will dominate the taste. This version of the Manhattan is not as sweet as others I have had, but I think that is what I like about it. Not a bad drink, but not one of my all-time favorites.
By coincidence, we went to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth this week for a preview screening of HBO's documentary, The Gates,which documents Christo and Jeanne-Paul's 2005 public art installation in Central Park. HBO held a Manhattan-themed reception beforehand with various New York City foods, including Manhattans. They made the sweeter variety, which were not bad, but not as good as the straighter version from The Bartender's Bible.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Week 2 - Gimlet
The Gimlet is another venerable cocktail. Originally developed by the British in the Far East, it combines gin and lime - very British! Was it yet another way to consume citrus and avoid rickets, or is that just an excuse? I do not know, but either way it is a tart, refreshing drink.
Again, our recipe is from The Bartender's Bible by Gary Regan.
Rose's Lime Juice has been around since 1867, when it was developed by Lauchlin Rose of Scotland. That is the same year the Merchant Shipping Act required all British ships to provide sailors with a daily ration of limes to prevent scurvy. The Act contributed to the success of Rose's Lime Juice no doubt. Today Rose's is produced Mott's.
We varied the recipe slightly. Instead of stirring the gin and lime juice together, we put them in a shaker. Instead of a lime wedge, we used a lime twist.
The end result is a simple, but sophisticated drink. Rose's has sugar added to it, which gives it a more powerful flavor, so the 4 to 1 ratio with the gin still leaves you with a lot of lime flavor. But there is not so much juice that it interferes with the characteristic crispness of the gin. A nice drink, and one that I think will be a favorite when summer hits. (That will be in just a few weeks here in Texas!)
Again, our recipe is from The Bartender's Bible by Gary Regan.
- 2 oz gin
- 1/2 oz Rose's Lime Juice
- 1 lime wedge
Rose's Lime Juice has been around since 1867, when it was developed by Lauchlin Rose of Scotland. That is the same year the Merchant Shipping Act required all British ships to provide sailors with a daily ration of limes to prevent scurvy. The Act contributed to the success of Rose's Lime Juice no doubt. Today Rose's is produced Mott's.
We varied the recipe slightly. Instead of stirring the gin and lime juice together, we put them in a shaker. Instead of a lime wedge, we used a lime twist.
The end result is a simple, but sophisticated drink. Rose's has sugar added to it, which gives it a more powerful flavor, so the 4 to 1 ratio with the gin still leaves you with a lot of lime flavor. But there is not so much juice that it interferes with the characteristic crispness of the gin. A nice drink, and one that I think will be a favorite when summer hits. (That will be in just a few weeks here in Texas!)
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