Football season is fast approaching, and I couldn’t be happier.  A nearly daily excuse to hang out with friends and drink — sign me up!  Like any good pro football player, I decided to spend the preseason practicing mixing and downing, starting with the Chelsea Sidecar, which I discovered in my handy bar book.

2 oz gin

3/4 oz cointreau

1/2 oz lemon juice

In doing a little research on this drink, it’s interesting how many variations there are to it — a lot use less gin or bring in 1/2 oz simple syrup.  Oh, and it started in the Chelsea Hotel in the early 1900s, a time of great alcohol innovation in the US.  It certainly passed the taste test, a very nice breezy taste with a good gin chill and citrus aura that sticks with you.  My only complaint was the sort of acidic mouthfeel, but one can survive that especially since the kick is so strong. Get at it folks.