Category Archives: #SusieDrinksClassics

Sidecar

The Sidecar, another of the classics out of New Orleans, is perhaps one of the first cocktail I remember hearing about in my childhood. Incredibly simple–brandy, lemon, and triple sec–it’s none too sweet.  Luckily, the sugared rim adds a nice amount of sweetness and plenty of sexiness.

The Sidecar has seen many offshoots, but is said to have come from the Brandy Crusta.  It’s disputed to have been created at either Harry’s Bar in Paris or Buck’s Club in London–either way, it has been mentioned in just about every cocktail book since World War I.  Wherever it came from, its ingredients have remained constant.

THE SIDECAR
2oz brandy (I went with Hennessy V.S.O.P. Privilège)
1oz fresh lemon juice
1oz triple sec (like Cointreau)

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice then shake until very well chilled.  Strain into sugar-rimmed glass.

Garnish: sugar rim
Glass: martini

sidecar-2_susie-oszustowicz

 

***Thanks to Hennessy for providing a bottle to create the cocktail!***

Whiskey Sour

The Whiskey Sour … the name describes it well enough that I don’t need to.  While there are multitudes of ways to make it (with an egg white, garnished with a lemon/orange/lime, or with sour mix (blasmphemy)), the basics remain the same: whiskey, lemon, and sugar.

The first time the mention of a Whiskey Sour was written was in Jerry Thomas’s The Bartender’s Guide all the way back in 1862, but it came from an old sailor’s recipe to fend off scurvy … and get a little boozy in the process. Initially the egg wasn’t included, but in Dale DeGroff’s The Essential Cocktail, the egg white is first mentioned as an optional inclusion.

WHISKEY SOUR
2oz whiskey
1oz lemon juice
1/4oz simple syrup (I use demerera syrup)
1 egg white (if a richer texture is desired)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.  Shake vigorously until well chilled (and extra long if including an egg white).  Strain over ice and garnish.

Garnish: whole cherry with orange/lemon peel
Glass: double old fashioned glass (if served with ice)
Ice: ice ball or cubes

NOTE: my cocktail turned out much lighter since I used egg white and a large cube.

Last Week: The Boulevardier
Next Week: The Sidecar

Items featured:
Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Luxardo Cherries, housemade demerera syrup
Copper Double Jigger: Etsy, $25
Double Old Fashioned Glass: Ikea
Marble Slab: Crate and Barrel, $49.95

#SusieDrinksClassics: the Boulevardier

With the classic cocktail resurgence that has been seen over the last couple decades, I realized recently that I didn’t know how to make many of them.  That said, we’re all going to learn together with my new series, #SusieDrinksClassics.

Our first less is the Boulevardier.  This cocktails is the whiskey version of an Italian favorite, the Negroni.  Since the whiskey warms the cocktail, it makes it a perfect transitional cocktail for the fall.

BOULEVARDIER
1.5oz rye whiskey
0.75 Campari
0.75 sweet vermouth

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, then stir with a bar spoon until well chilled.  Strain into a glass of your choice.

Garnish: orange peel
Glass: coupe or double old fashioned glass (if served with ice)
Ice: none if chilled, or over ice if desired

Next Week: the Whiskey Sour

Items featured:
Wigle Rye Whiskey (Pittsburgh, PA), Campari, Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
Gold jigger: Cocktail Kingdom, $22.95
Mixing glass: Courtesy of Absolut Elyx
Coupe: Crate and Barrel, $12.95
Marble Slab: Crate and Barrel, $49.95