Mince Pie and Sidecar

The second Sunday in Advent is upon us!  Another landmark on the path of expectant waiting and preparation; and another night for a warming mince pie cognac treat.

This week I’ve gone for a festive twist on the Sidecar as the orange and lemon of the brandy-based classic seem to be a good accompaniment to the candied peel and currants of the infused cognac.

1. Add 40ml mince pie cognac, 20ml triple sec and 20ml fresh lemon juice to a shaker of ice.
2. Shake well and strain into a chilled coupe.
3. Garnish with a reindeer napkin, Santa peg and a fox (what else?)

Corpse Reviver #2

Photo courtesy of Rubin Starset

“Four of these taken in quick succession will un-revive the corpse again.” – Harry Craddock, Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930

One of the classic early morning cocktails, the Corpse Reviver #2 was originally considered a hangover cure of sorts.  An eye-opener, or hair of the dog style drink of classic provenance, it appears the sharp citrus flavours were seen by the bon viveurs of the 1920s as the ideal tonic to a night of overindulgence.  Of course these days we rely on non-alcoholic lemon shower gel to provide the same citrus tingle.  Shame.

The other overriding flavour of the Corpse Reviver is absinthe, interestingly a common ingredient in other early morning drinks (see also the Morning Glory) and used here as a dry counterpoint to the sharp citrus and the floral gin botanicals.

So why the #2?  Well the original Corpse Reviver is a cognac, calvados and vermouth concoction, and hasn’t aged as well, or with as much popularity as the second in the series.  Many bars have come up with #3s, #4s and beyond, but none are as perfectly balanced and silently lethal as the tart and sweet, gin-based version.

1. Rinse a martini glass with a teaspoon of absinthe and discard the excess.
2. Shake equal parts gin, triple sec, Lillet Blanc (or Cocchi Americano) and lemon juice with cubed ice for twenty seconds.
3. Double strain into the absinthe-rinsed glass.
4. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Highland Margarita

Everyone knows the Margarita as the pre-eminent tequila cocktail and staple of the ‘sours’ stable. A classic drink, and one of the few that has spawned its own unique glassware, the Margarita dates back to the 1930s, and is a Mexican variation of the earlier American classic, the Daisy (which uses brandy in place of tequila). Coincidentally (or decisively depending on your view of Margarita-lore) the Spanish for daisy is margarita. The traditional Margarita starts with a salted glass:

1. Frost the glass by rubbing a lime wedge round the outside of the rim.
2. Dip the glass in a saucer of coarse salt (try and avoid getting any on the inside of the glass).
3. Shake 40ml reposado tequila, 20ml triple sec and 20ml fresh lime juice with cubed ice for twenty seconds.
4. Double strain into the frosted glass.
5. Garnish with a lime wheel.

A popular alternative is Tommy’s Margarita:

1. Shake 40ml reposado tequila, 20ml fresh lime juice and 10ml agave syrup with cubed ice for twenty seconds.
2. Double strain into a chilled rocks glass over cubed ice.
3. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Of course a Margarita can be frozen, flavoured or served up with a salt foam float, but not being a massive Tequila fan – I blame too many years working in an Irish bar dealing out shots of the cheap stuff – and living in Scotland, I prefer a whisky-based drink, and for that I turn to the Highland Margarita.

First salt your glass as above (it wouldn’t be a Margarita without it):

Then mix your drink:

1. Shake 40ml Scotch whisky*, 20ml triple sec and 20ml fresh lemon juice with cubed ice for twenty seconds.
2. Double strain into the frosted (margarita) glass.
3. Garnish with a wedge of lemon.

If you’re feeling adventurous a barspoon of ginger liqueur is a nice addition, either added to the mix before you shake, or layered in after the pour.

* This being a Highland Margarita, a Highland single malt would be apposite (I use Oban as a matter of course), but this drink will work just as well with whichever type of whisky (or even whiskey) you prefer.

Sidecar

Photo courtesy of Finger Food, some rights reserved.

The Sidecar is often considered to be the perfect beginner’s drink, so I am somewhat ashamed to make it the thirty-third entry at House of Bourbon.  In my defence, I am not much of a cognac consumer (outside of a Vieux Carré or Sazerac of course), so I have taken my time to get to this World War I classic.

The drink is attributed to either the Ritz Hotel, or Harry’s Bar, in Paris, where it is said a wartime captain was often deposited at the bar fresh from the sidecar of a motorcycle.  He ordered the drink that would come to be known as the sidecar as a pre-dinner revitaliser, and from that day on, the Sidecar has been a staple of many menus.

A slightly sour drink that has in times gone by been enhanced (desecrated?) by the addition of a sugared rim, the Sidecar is complex enough to be interesting, but simple enough to be easily mastered.  You proceed as follows:

1. Shake 40ml Cognac, 20ml triple sec and 20ml fresh lemon juice with cubed ice for twenty seconds.
2. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.
3. Garnish with a twist of lemon.