The sidecar: Unsafe at any speed
And now, a personal confession from Midnight Sun guest poster Owl Meat Gravy:
When I was a wee lad in the Keystone state, I remember eating in mom and pop taverns with my parents.
The most memorable thing (other than "shrimp-in-a-basket")? The classic cocktail place mats.
I studied these exotic drinks since I was old enough to read. I never saw adults drink them other than in old movies. The Grasshopper, Gin Rickey, Manhattan, Mai Tai, Singapore Sling, Old Fashioned, and the Sidecar.
It just so happens that in this month's issue of Happening Dude magazine, it says that the Sidecar is the hot new drink for the coolaratti.
Properly constructed, this drink should be made with cognac or brandy, Cointreau, and fresh lemon juice. The problem is that most bartenders will look at you funny, check their Old Mr. Boston book, and make it with brandy, triple sec and (ugh) sour mix ...
I have a constitutional prohibition against mixing cognac with anything other than saliva, so a decent brandy is just fine. California brandy is good, but I like to use a Spanish solera for a little extra kick.
Some people use Grand Marnier instead of Cointreau, I think Cointreau has a lighter touch. Properly made, it is a great cocktail, with the dominant flavors blending into a synthesis of refreshment. Nice.
My friend Balthazar says it's like a brandy margarita, which is true. He also says that aliens built the pyramids with monkey slaves. Even H. L. Mencken praised it as one of the few cocktails of any merit.
So trendsetters, join the toolaratti and be the first to annoy your favorite bartender by making him squeeze lemon slices for an authentic sidecar.
(Photo by Getty Images)
Categories: Bars & Clubs, Owl Meat's Tipsy Tuesdays
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
I have a constitutional prohibition against mixing cognac with anything other than saliva
Well said my good man. It is most distracting to see people drink cognac and Coca Cola on ice ... in a snifter. Most uncivilized.
Posted by: Lord Marmalade | May 2, 2009 10:29 AM
I've said it before here, but I'll say it again: the Sidecar is how I test a bar. It's as classic as a Martini or a Manhattan...so the bartender had better know how to make it.
If not—we all have our blind spots; I'm an English major who's never read Moby Dick—the bartender can win me over just by saying, "You know, I oughtta know how to make that and it's a shame I don't." D*mn right you should, and you just doubled your tip.
Posted by: Patchen | May 3, 2009 11:54 AM
Sidecars are best when made with Metaxa and served in a sugar rimmed martini glass. I'm girlie. I like things like that.
Posted by: kimmer1850 | May 3, 2009 12:50 PM
Nothing says you've hit your target audience like a comment from someone named Lord Marmalade. I imagine he's a Pimm's man.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | May 3, 2009 1:48 PM
Hey Patchen, what percentage of bartenders in Baltimore do you think know how to make a sidecar without looking it up? It seems pretty low to me. Do you have a preference on ingredients? Any places that do it particularly well? A Negroni is a good test too.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | May 3, 2009 7:52 PM
Kimmer, sugar-rimmed glass? Ew, not for me, Metaxa? Isn't that sort of awful? I tried it once and don't have a pleasant memory. To each her own.
The bartender test that a surpising number fail hard on is "Jameson's neat." Blank stare. Response: "Do you mean straight up?" Fail. Or putting whiskey in a snifter.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | May 3, 2009 7:57 PM
OMG, dare I ask where in the Keystone state? If you prefer not to be specific, can you narrow it down to a region?
Posted by: *◄:o)Yum~ | May 4, 2009 12:21 PM
Don't tell me YumPo is a fellow Keystoner? I grew up in Pretzel City, Lat. 40.3497, Long. -75.9158 How's that for specific? That's the location of the famous sandbox picture.
A great place to get away from.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | May 4, 2009 3:05 PM
Yes, I am. And if I told you exactly where, I can imagine the comments that would result, especially on this blog (although safer than many of the others, but not by much). Born and raised, but left when I went off to post-grad school. No jobs at home when I graduated so I ended up here. All of my family and relatives are still there. I still bleed the colors. Always will.
Posted by: *◄:o)Yum~ | May 5, 2009 12:31 PM
So, lemme guess YumPo. Was a Rumspringa involved? I hope there's no shunning when you return for holidays.
Posted by: TheBeav | May 5, 2009 1:41 PM
Rumspringa? Great. Well Yum certainly has the meat preparation skills of an Amish girl, but I somehow doubt it.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | May 5, 2009 3:02 PM
Was a Rumspringa involved? I hope there's no shunning when you return for holidays.
I liked that a lot, The Beav. You made akvavit come out of my nose.
Posted by: *◄:o)Yum~ | May 5, 2009 4:45 PM
Hey what's Owl Meat doing here? That's tricky sending us away from D@L. Elizabeth will be mad.
Mmm.. Cointreau. But with brandy? Sounds like the best or worst lemonade ever.
Posted by: just browsing | July 20, 2009 1:24 PM