Well, it’s the day after Valentine’s Day and I’m sure most of you probably scored big with the wife using some of the usual tricks. You can’t go wrong with some roses or Newport Beach gondola rides. So, what’s next? You’ve gone out of your way to show that special lady in your life just how special she really is to you … and now you deserve something too.
Like a good husband, you’ve already learned to make drinks for your wife and her friends. I’m hoping some of you put those mixology skills to work and actually used Valentine’s Day as the perfect time to unveil your newly developed drink-making powers. If you had people over, then I’d expect you used the cosmopolitan recipe as a way to impress your wife’s friends (and annoy their dates).
Now that you’ve gone out of your way to make drinks for everyone else, it’s time to take out the good stuff and make yourself a drink. There are a lot of directions we can take with this one. In the past, I would have probably suggested a cold beer or a shot of tequila. More recently, I’ve become a bit of a Jack Daniels guy. On any other day but today, I would have told you to pour yourself an ounce or two of JD in a rocks glass with three – yes exactly three – ice cubes. Ask me why later. But, this is a special occasion so it calls for a special drink recipe. Besides, you took all this time effort to make nice drinks for the ladies, why would you not do the same for yourself right?
What’s it gonna be then? I’ve certainly had my share of drinks, especially after being married for almost 9 years. I have to say, I think I’m gonna go with my all-time favorite. It’s a drink that’s got a little “age” to it, so you won’t be getting a recipe for anything that a college kid would order at the campus bar. It’s classy, but not so classy to where it’s gonna make you fellas uncomfortable while you’re drinking it. It’s easy to make, and even better to drink. The best part? It’s kinda strong, so your wife will ask for a sip (because that’s what wive’s do), but it’ll definitely be strong enough to discourage any additional samplings.
What am I talking about here? A sidecar of course, and it represents our third and final drink recipe (just like I promised).
I first learned about sidecars from an old buddy of mine. He was going through a fedora stage and was spending a lot of time in old Los Angeles bars pretending to be Sammy Davis Jr. or one of the other guys from The Rat Pack. Being a good friend, he brought me along for the ride – even took me to buy my first fedora.
We walked in to a bar one day after work and he told me to order the sidecar. I wasn’t really sure what that was. I was hungry, so I thought it was some type of appetizer. Turns out, it was one of the best drinks I’ve ever tasted, and after two of those, it was my turn to feel like one of the guys from The Rat Pack.
My buddy explained to me that a sidecar is the perfect drink to test a bartender’s skills. A sidecar only includes three ingredients. So if a bartender screws that up, it’s probably best not to order anything else. I’ve told that story a bunch of times, and the truth is, I had so many sidecars that night that I don’t know if my buddy ever really said that. But it’s a good story to tell, and I can’t help but think that because of it, I’ve been single-handedly responsible for bringing back the sidecar.
I’ve hyped it up enough, so here you go: a few simple ingredients is all you need to make yourself a sidecar. The perfect drink after a long day of work, the perfect reward for being a good husband, and (apparently) the perfect way to test if a bartender knows what he’s doing.
- Sugar (the superfine type works best if you can find it)
- 1.5 ounces of cognac
- 1 ounce of cointreau
- Half of a lemon
Take a chilled cocktail glass (I prefer martini glasses, but any cocktail glass will do) and coat the rim with sugar. Take your shaker and fill it about halfway with ice. Add your cognac, orange liqueur, and the lemon juice. Shake the ingredients well for about 5 seconds. Strain the liquid mixture into your glass and there you have it. Easy to make, yet you would be surprised how many bad sidecars I’ve had over the years.
Don’t forget to give your wife a quick taste. The only thing left to do now is to find yourself a comfortable place where you can sit and sip, put on a little Sinatra, and enjoy. The fedora, of course, is optional.
Leftover Bacon 