Cool cocktail for a cold night.

On Saturday night, my brother, sister-in-law and I tramped through the cold, biting snow to see Where The Wild Things Are. None of us enjoyed it all that much (I must not be a hipster...), and by the time I made it home, I was chilled to the bone and ready for a cocktail.

I wasn't in the mood for a martini, and I was running low on bourbon - but I had plenty of lemons and Laird's Applejack, an apple brandy made just over the river in New Jersey. I decided to make my new go-to autumn cocktail, an applejack sidecar. Sidecars have lemon juice, which makes apple pie taste good, so why not apple liquor?

As you know, thanks to Nick, I'm awfully fond of a bourbon sidecar. An applejack sidecar is a bit lighter in taste, but packs just as much punch at the finish. And since applejack is essentially apple brandy, I figure it's even less a bastardization of the original, which calls for brandy or Cognac.


It's key that you use fresh lemon juice (just as it's paramount to use fresh mixers in all drinks) to ensure the right amount of tart, citrusy bite. It would also be good to do half lemon juice, half fresh cider. Oooh, yeah, that would be awesome. You could sub (or even supplement) Grand Marnier in for the Cointreau...you could even do what Nick does with his sidecars and add a little Grand Marnier float to the top.

After all, you're already breaking with convention - have fun, wouldja?

Applejack Sidecar

This makes a smaller, quite civilized cocktail - feel free to double up. I often do.

1 sliver of lemon, reserved
Granulated sugar
2 1/2 ounces Laird's Applejack
1 tbs. lemon juice
1 tbs. Cointreau or Triple Sec

Drag the lemon sliver, fleshy side down, around the rim of a cocktail glass. Once the rim is evenly damp with juice, put some sugar on a small plate and spin the glass around in it a couple of times to coat the rim with sugar. Place the glass in the fridge or freezer to chill while you make the cocktail.

Fill a cocktail shaker 1/3 full with cubed ice. Pour in the Applejack, lemon juice and Cointreau. Cover and shake gently until the shaker fogs with condensation.

Pour the cocktail into the prepared glass and enjoy.

Serves one.