Have A Bourbon Sidecar, Two Ways
I am smitten with bourbon, and yesterday was National Bourbon Day! So, why not a delicious bourbon sidecar cocktail? This is a great twist on the original sidecar, made with cognac. There’s nothing like a cocktail made the old-fashioned way, shaken with all the ingredients, lots of ice and a fresh egg white. That’s really one of the best parts of this drink. I know a few people are uncomfortable with the use of raw egg whites in their drinks these days, I get it. I don’t mind, because I know where all my eggs come from😉.
The reason egg whites are perfect for cocktails is they impart no flavor but they give the “indulger” the pleasure of the smooth, silky mouth-feel and you get that pretty and delicious froth on top. You can’t use merengue powder as a substitute, it will add an unwanted flavor to the drink. If you’re really worried about salmonella (and the odds of that are “ultra-smidgenous”), you can use pasteurized egg whites. They are sold in cartons in the grocery stores. It’s fun if you want to give it a try. But, by all means, don’t let the egg white stop you from having this drink. I say, go ahead and have one without it, it’s still really good.
Off The Rocks or On The Rocks? (And One of those chickens is a Barred Rock😂🐓)
Made in the cocktail shaker and served straight up is straight up fabulous. But, if you’re like me and these little cocktails are so delicious, you may find yourself wanting to drink them up too fast, don’t get yourself into a pickle! Here’s another option. Shake it up but then, serve it right over ice. This drink will stay icy-cold as long as it takes you to slowly sip it. It’s a great way to enjoy a non-traditional sidecar on a warm evening. Still the same ingredients, still garnished with a delicious Luxardo marschino cherry, but icy cold and guaranteed to be refreshing.
Here’s A Cherry Good Idea!
If you don’t have any Luxardo cherries, here’s a recipe for boozy bourbon soaked cherries from an earlier blog. They’re not in the thick, dark and sweet syrup Luxardos are, but they are a fun alternative and let me say…….very, very boozy. After a few weeks, the orange and the bourbon really infuse the cherries and they are delicious! https://wp.me/p9KEfL-tF
Here’s how to get things shaking!
Separate the egg white from the yolk. You only want to use the white, discard the yolk unless you have a use for it right away. Add the egg white, the bourbon, lemon juice and the simple syrup to your shaker and give it a good 30 second shake, before adding any ice. This is a “dry-shake”. Now, go ahead and add ice to about 1/2 full, then shake again another 30 seconds. Put this into a cocktail glass and garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino Cherry. If you like, add a little drizzle of that amazingly delicious cherry syrup. If you prefer this over ice, just strain into a double rocks glass, garnish the same way! Cheers and Bob’s your uncle!
Bourbon Side Car Straight Up or On The Rocks
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 ounce simple syrup
- 1/2 egg white
- Luxardo Maraschino cherry
Instructions
- Add bourbon, lemon juice and simple syrup and 1/2 egg white to a cocktail shaker and shake 30 seconds, briskly. Then, fill 1/2 way with ice. Shake well then strain to serve straight up in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
- Or, strain to serve over rocks in a double rocks glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
