It’s time for a cocktail, am I right?
A few weeks ago when Steve and I embarked on the Great San Marzano Canning Experience 2011, we procured a bottle of lemon juice. Apparently lemons vary considerably in acidity, so most canning recipes suggest using bottled lemon juice. The recipe only called for a few tablespoons, so we’re left with a mostly full bottle of lemon juice. Oh, and I had bought thyme to make the mythically delicoius Zuni roast chicken. What to do?
Make one of my favorite cocktails of all time. This was one of the first cocktails I ever drank, and it is still awesome. Many recipes use a 1:1:1 ration of brandy, cointreau, and lemon juice, but my tastes lean away from something so cointreau heavy. Using less means that you need to make up for the loss of sweetness with simple syrup or gum syrup, but the result means a cleaner lemon-y cocktail. But play around with the ratios to your taste.
And the thyme? Crazy good.
It’s About Thyme, Sidecar
makes 1
- 2 oz Brandy
- 1/2 oz Cointreau
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon gum syrup (this stuff is amazeballs. Use whenever you’d use simple syrup, especially in citrus based drinks. Gives a smooth mouthfeel. I have a locally produced one from Small Hand Foods)
- few springs of thyme
- sugar and salt*
1. If you’re using fresh squeezed lemon juice, take a wedge of lemon, cut a notch in it and rub it on the rim of your glass. If you’re usingbottled juice, it is messier, but pour some juice on a shallow bowl and moisten the rim of your glass
2. mix equal parts salt and sugar on a plate or shallow bowl, and dip your moistened rim (yeah, I know) into the mix.
3. Combine all other ingredients in cocktail shaker, including a spring of thyme. Shake it. Shake it good.
4. Strain into old-fashioned glass. Add a sprig of thyme to be beautiful.
*very untraditional I know, but adding the salt gives this a little something special. You want to be special, right?
