Rye Whiskey Sidecar Recipe and This Weeks Eats 3.15.15

Now that the weekends of back to back racing are over, I'm enjoying after dinner cocktails on Saturdays again!  My husband has developed a love for whiskey over the last few years and I'm juuuuust starting to come around.  I LOVE the smell of it, the sweet vanilla like aroma.  When I do have a glass (with a large ice cube in it) I spend almost more time smelling it than I do drinking it.

The whiskey shelf...

I've discovered my favorite way to really enjoy it is to make a mixed drink.  I'm not a fan of the Manhattan because I can't stand Vermouth.  An Old Fashioned is good, but it requires some effort with muddling oranges and so forth.  Last year, I tried Shutterbean's Clove Scented Sidecar and made some adaptations so as not to do any muddling, added in Cointreau, and came up with my go-to recipe.  Sometimes I add clove to the mix and to the sugar rim, sometimes not.  Plus, I found that (for my palate) rye whiskey tastes better in a sidecar.  It's not as sweet as most whiskey, so it contrasts nicely to the sugar and juices.  I have it down to a science with my measuring cup, and the amounts aren't precise - so I've listed out how much to pour in the directions.

Rye Whiskey Sidecar

Ingredients

• rye whiskey (we love our local Woodinville Whiskey)
• Cointreau or other orange liqueur
• lemon
• superfine sugar
• orange juice (out of the carton works just fine for me)
• simple syrup (we always have a squeeze bottle of it in the fridge, here's how you make it)

Directions

In a clear measuring cup with pour spout, fill with whiskey to just under 1/3 cup.  Put a splash of Cointreau to just above the 1/3 cup line. Cut the lemon and squeeze half into the mixture (save the other half for your second drink - you'll want another), then run it along the rim of your glass and dip the rim in the superfine sugar.  Add orange juice to the 1/2 cup line, or a little more to taste.  Add a teaspoon of simple syrup, or more depending on your preference, and pour into a shaker with ice.  Shake and strain into your sugar rimmed glass and enjoy!

The new Mac and Cheese recipe from last week was definitely a hit.  I added caramelized onions and some bacon, just like our favorite Pioneer Woman recipe to 'fancy' it up a bit - highly recommend, especially when pairing with Brussels sprouts.  This week I'm SO excited to try out some new recipes for St. Patrick's Day that involve Guiness... and CAKE.

• Monday - Pizza
• Tuesday - Guiness Pot Roast and Dark Chocolate Guiness Cake with Baileys Cream Cheese Frosting (going a little celebratory for St. Pats Day this year!)
• Wednesday - Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry with Brown Rice (trying this new all purpose stir fry sauce)
• Thursday - Basil Tilapia Filets from Costco and Broccoli Quinoa Casserole (from Eating Well, Living Thin)
• Friday - Chicken Fajitas with Frontera Sauce and Fixins
• Saturday - Rigatoni Arrabbiata (our Saturday night pasta)
• Sunday - Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Salad (from Everyday Reading)

As always, I'm linking up with Org Junkie, Mommy Run Fast and Jill Conyers - be sure to check out all the great weekly menus!