Vintage Cocktails: Between the Sheets

So right off the bat this cocktail has a lot going for it. I mean, the name alone makes it worth drinking, right? It's like an old school, slightly more appropriate forerunner of some of today's brazen hussy drinks, like Sex on the Beach. I mean, if you were at a drinking establishment and someone offered you a Sex on the Beach, and someone else offered you a Between the Sheets, which one would be more intriguing? Instead of coming out swinging, the name of this drink just gives you a smile and a wink.

A Between the Sheets is a close relative of one of my favorite drinks, the Sidecar. The only difference is that a Between the Sheets adds rum.

Lately I've been on a bit of a rum kick-- which is to say, I've been thinking fond thoughts, and occasionally eating, things with "rum raisin" in their name. Mostly ice cream, it's true, but I have plans for a rum raisin tapioca pudding. I even have raisins soaking in rum on my counter in preparation for this fantastic event! But I digress. My point is, rum is delicious, at least when applied correctly.

Sadly, the Between the Sheets was not a knock-out drink for me. It was fine, sure, but I've already returned to the sweet embrace of the Sidecar when I'm looking for a drink with a citrusy flavor profile. Sorry, clever sexual innuendo drink!

Robert did take some rather hilarious pictures of this cocktail though. He was very proud of himself.

Here it is, lying seductively...between the sheets.

And here it is with a couple of friends. Bears! In bed! With a naughty drink! I hope no children are reading.

Still, if you're a big rum fan, or just looking to spice up your drinking (or love) life, the Between the Sheets is certainly worth trying!

Between the Sheets

In a cocktail shaker with crushed ice combine:
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz orange liquor
1/2 oz rum
1/2 oz brandy or cognac

Shake well, strain into a lovely glass, and enjoy!

Vintage Cocktails: Sidecar

I had a rather exciting day yesterday, and um, forgot to blog. So let's just pretend it's still Monday, OK?

At any rate, we're on a brandy roll! The Sidecar was actually the cocktail that got me into this whole vintage drink schtick, which is funny because I'd never had one until a few days ago. But my dear chef friend, Rachel, mentioned them a while back and my ears pricked up. They sounded so classic and sophisticated. Cocktails. Sidecar. I was hooked without even taking a sip.

I know that some Sidecar recipes call for cognac. My Little Blue Book does not. So this Sidecar is made with brandy.

1/3 brandy
1/3 Cointreau
1/3 lemon juice

Shake over ice, strain and serve.

Verdict: delicious. I was right to fall in love with this drink! Definitely worth a spot in your regular rotation. Not too sweet, not too boozy- just right. I had thought of this drink as an autumn or winter cocktail (in the days of our imaginary courtship), but now I'm not so sure. This drink is wonderful in the summer, and I could see drinking it into the fall, but maybe not winter. Brandy is a more versatile spirit than I'd realized! I probably need to consider hot toddies for the winter editions.

And now I present you with: a knitted fish! Riding a motorcycle! With a Sidecar as her sidecar!

Pretty awesome, right?

Vintage cocktails: Brandy Daisy

This weekend we went to Delaware for the first time. One of my friends from college was getting married on Saturday, so we drove down on Friday, and met up with other college friends from St. Louis and Baltimore. Our friend getting married had a "rehearsal" dinner for the out of towners, which was lovely, and allowed my children to gorge on Shirley Temples and raspberry lemonades. It was actually the weekend writ small, as we spent pretty much all of our time eating, drinking, looking fabulous, and sometimes swimming. It was excellent (except for the drive there, when and 8 car pile up + Google's poor directions added a full hour to what should have been a 3 hour drive).

We did forget a number of things, however. Robert forgot his razor, so was slightly scruffy (which really just made him look more dangerous). We also forgot Zion's hair gel, for putting up his mohawk, and his tie. He hardly ever spikes his mohawk, so the omission of gel is understandable. His tie wasn't with his suit, however, and since we were packing right before we left I forgot to ask Robert if he knew where it was and we just left without it. As it turns out Robert had no idea where it was, but Zion actually knew, and was most unhappy that he didn't have it. He was quite mopey, and hoped fervently that no other little boys at the wedding would be wearing suits and ties, so that he wouldn't be out-dressed. Our assurances that the tie-less look was totally hip fell on deaf ears, but in the end he had to go the wedding in something, and he knew a tie-less suit was the best he had. And he did look fabulous!

But, getting back to my main point from the last paragraph, we forgot our camera. So almost no pictures, except for this one that Sara's guy took. L to R: Sara, me, Mira, Eleanor. We all lived in the same dorm our freshman year. Aren't we cute??

I also have a picture of today's vintage cocktail! It's all about improving by baby steps, right?

Here she is, the Brandy Daisy.

Brandy Daisy:
2 oz brandy
1/2 oz grenadine
juice of one lemon
Shake over ice. If you're hardcore you can strain out the ice, or you can drink it on ice, like me!

Thoughts: This drink is delicious, and very, very girly. Or, put in Robert's words, "This tastes kind of like alcoholic kool-ade." You can decide for yourself if that's a good thing or a bad thing. You can also adjust the proportions somewhat, adding less grenadine or more lemon for a less sweet drink. I'm not a big brandy drinker, but I think it gives this drink a rich, slightly caramel-y flavor.

A keeper!