The Alicia - Naming a Drink After Yourself or Your Wife

Shortly after we got married, we become bored (briefly) with Cosmos on Fridays. So one Friday, John – heady with thinking he knew something about inventing cocktails after reading a New York Times article on the topic – started to play with booze and booze accoutrements. Basically, all he knew was that he needed a base alcohol, a complimentary liquor, and something that is neither.

This is a common formula, used in drinks like cosmos (vodka, Cointreau, and cranberry juice) and margaritas (tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice).  If you want to make a girly weaker effeminate more refreshing drink, you can trade the complimentary liquor for something else that is neither. This is the formula used in a tequila sunrise (tequila, orange juice, and grenadine) and a daiquiri (rum, lime juice, and gomme syrup).

Anyway, John looked at what we had and took out the vodka, amaretto, and Sprite. Using the same ratio that we use for a Cosmo (2 parts alcohol to 1 part liquor to 1 part something else) and adding a freshly squeezed lemon in place of the lime, he created the Alicia.

Here’s how we make it:

Vodka, 4 shots
Amaretto, 2 shots
Sprite
½ Lemon

Pour the vodka and amaretto into a shaker with ice. Squeeze the ½ lemon into the shaker. Shake well. Pour equally into two frosted martini glasses. Top off with Sprite and garnish with a lemon slice.

Alicia: I don’t exactly recall when John created this drink, but it has become one of my favorites. The blend of amaretto and sprite give it a refreshing sweetness, while the vodka and fresh lemon juice give it a slightly bitter edge. Cheers!

John: I love the color of this drink. It looks like a homemade cola and has a similar bittery, citrusy bite to it. It also reminds me of one of my beloved brown boozes – bourbon, scotch, and whiskey. Word to the wise: Beware the temptation of using bottled lemon juice. Much like the lime in a Cosmo, a freshly squeezed lemon is important. You want the natural bitterness that it brings, because the Sprite and amaretto will be too sweet without it. In a chilled glass, it’s a fantastic summer drink. Given that my wife is also a pretty fantastic summer drink, naming it after her seemed fitting.

Here’s a visual demonstration:

Cosmos - Our Favorite Drink, Our First Post

Welcome to Wet Your Whistle Wednesday, a midweek celebration of the drinking class. We are Alicia and John, a married couple with a young daughter. Back in our youth, we would think nothing of running downtown to grab a quick drink from our favorite bars and bartenders. Since the 7-month-old darling entered into our lives, our flexibility has changed somewhat. But that does not mean that our appreciation for a well-mixed concoction has diminished. We’re just doing more of it at home. 

We both like drinks and writing, so we thought a project combining the two would be a fun way to combine our interests. Some married couples remodel a house; we’re going to drink and write.

For our first entry, we’ve chosen the Cosmopolitan, our drink of choice on Friday nights. Possibly the most unfortunate part of Alicia’s pregnancy with Ella was that we weren’t able to share Cosmos each week. But now, as soon as John gets home from work on Fridays, the martini glasses come out of the freezer and the vodka comes out of the liquor cabinet. But, there’s nothing wrong with drinking cosmos on a Wednesday night either! Here is our favorite recipe (for 2), followed by our individual critiques:

Recipe

Vodka – 4 ounces
Cointreau – 2 ounces
Cranberry Juice – 2 ounces
Lime – juice from ½ and 2 slices for garnish

Sugar – about 1 Tbsp

Place 2 martini glasses in freezer for at least 15 minutes.

Pour the vodka, Cointreau, and cranberry juice into a shaker with two ice cubes.  Squeeze all of the juice out of the ½ lime into the shaker. Cover (duh) and shake well. Pour a small amount of sugar onto a small, flat plate. Remove the martini glasses from the freezer, wet your (clean) finger and run it along the rim of one glass. Roll the rim of the glass in the sugar to evenly coat it. Repeat with second glass. Drop lime slices into martini glasses. Pour contents of shaker equally into the glasses.

 Alicia

As we were writing this recipe, John asked me when I had my first cosmo, and I honestly could not remember (maybe too many cosmos for this girl!). But, I do recall what I believe is the first of many photos of me toasting with a cosmo – in NYC for my sister’s 21^st birthday. No, we were not out for a night on the town with the girls. We were on a family vacation to celebrate Angela’s birthday. The cosmo has become the drink of choice for us sisters and our mother. The first round of drinks at family dinners out is always a manhattan for Dad and 3 cosmos for the girls (I sometimes diverge to a raspberry version of this wonderful beverage). When I met John, I made him cosmos when he came over for dinner and he quickly learned the recipe and now has become the master – my mother recently said “John really makes a great cosmo.” If you knew my mother, you’d know that this is HIGH praise! So, here we are…cosmos on Friday nights, baby or not. Oh, and I’ve never seen one single episode of Sex in the City.

John

Fellas – I know what you’re thinking: “Sarah Jessica Parker is not going to dictate my beverage of choice.” I hear that. One of the reasons I love my wife is that she has a disdain for that line of thinking as well. But the truth is that this is a legit drink, featuring 3 shots of booze. Depending on your bartender, this will hit you harder than a gin and tonic. The sting of the vodka and the tartness of the lime prevent this from being overly sweet – it tastes like a drink should. Feel free to order one to impress your wife or girlfriend with your open mindedness.

Want to see a visual demonstration? We can provide that too: