meyer lemon sidecars

I picked up a bag of Meyer lemons last week, and we've been squeezing them into drinks, sprinkling them over salads, and just enjoying the heck out of them.  Have you tried them yet?  So tasty.  Sweeter than a normal lemon, but still tart.  So Brian asked me last week, "What else can we do with these?"  I thought about maybe making a lemon cake (right, Jo?) or maybe a lemon tart.  But then.  Then.  I had a stroke of GENIUS.  "In a SIDECAR!!!" I may have shouted back at him in excitement.  But he understands my love of the cocktail named Sidecar, which is why he completes me.

If you've never tried a Sidecar, I definitely recommend it.  It is really refreshing, curiously perfect for any season, and goes down easy.  Maybe too easy, but that's for another blog post.  And let me tell you, my suspicions were correct.  The Meyer lemons made it the BEST Sidecar I had ever had, and I have had pleeeenty of good Sidecars.

If you're in the mood for a easy and deliciously in-season cocktail, gather the following:

Cointreau
Cognac
Meyer lemons
Ice
Cocktail shaker

For optional garnish
lemon zester
straw

Brian is playing the mixmaster here, as he is the cocktail genius in our family.

First cut a lemon twist from the rind of one of the lemons.  No matter if it breaks apart, but try and make it as long as possible.

Now here's a trick from Brian, who is the cocktail genius.  Wrap your twist around a straw and pop it into the freezer for at least 5 minutes.  It comes out perfect and holds up well in the drink.

We did not use the lemon that Fletcher had tried to suck on, don't worry.  But he did give it a go trying to use the zester on his own lemon.

Juice your lemons.  We used our trusty Juice O' Mat to squeeze out every drop of lemony goodness.

The thing is a workhorse.  And a treasured hand me down from my grandparents.  Fill your cocktail shaker about halfway with big ice cubes.  Pour in your juice, Cointreau, and cognac at a 1:1:1 ratio.  Brian used a jigger of each, which made one cocktail at a time.

Shake your shaker until it gets frosty.

Pour out into your choice of cocktail glass.  You can serve over crushed ice, but I prefer mine without ice.

Take the lemon twists out of the freezer, unwrap them from the straw, and garnish your drinks!

Enjoy thoroughly and don't feel bad about making a second.  They really just slide right down!

 Cheers!

 xx special thanks to Brian for doing all the work