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Claire over at Zulkey.com needed a manly name for her boyfriend’s drink. So I suggested a Punch in the Face. Though I am not sure how the bartenders are supposed to figure out what that means.
I then got overzealous and sent her my lab-tested recipie for a perfect (though not as perfect as Jim Coudal’s perfect) Sidecar for wintry evenings.
So, for your holiday drink-making pleasure, here is the Perfect Sidecar ala Rise Industries. Have three, and banging your head on a wall becomes a fun little thing to do. Really.
The Perfect Sidecar ala Rise Industries
For this you need an up glass (those triangular deals, like James Bond Martini style), a shaker (see below) and the ingredients (see also below).
1 jigger (ya know, the big side of a cool hourglass-shaped shot measurer) very good brandy, or better yet, decent Cognac.
3/4 jigger Cointreau. Don’t mess with the triple sec here, you will just regret it. You wanna move up to first class, shell out for Grand Marnier. Its not necessary, but then this drink is not about necessity.
Cut a lemon in half, and squeeze (just the half) on a Phillipe Starck lemon squeezer. Actually, first rub the lemon on the rim of your glass, then pour sugar onto a plate and dip the rim in the sugar. Stand the glass up and let it sit for a minute, so the sugar gets crusty. Nice. Lazy bartenders who make this drink with sweet and sour mix should be fired on the spot. Fresh squeezed lemon must be used, none of that plastic-grenade lemon stuff.
OK. Put all the liquids in a shaker (Boston shaker please, with the satisfying click it makes upon opening the two parts after shaking) with three ice cubes. Shake briskly, folks who say you can bruise liquid are hallucinating.
Pour through a fancy shaker-strainer thing into your glass. Got to catch those pesky lemon seeds.
Put on a snappy cardigan. It’s cold out. Argyle pattern works best. I have a wool sidecar drinking one with fancy silver-ish buttons that my mom made for me. Though she didn’t know it was for sidecar drinking, she would approve.
Sip till its gone. Enjoy the sweet lemony (snicket?) punch of pure liquors meeting in citrus harmony. Then nibble the rest of the sugar off the glass and repeat. Only, don’t put on another cardigan. Skip that step.
