The Between the Sheets is a classic cocktail with a serious warning attached. Patrick Gavin Duffy, in his 1934 book The Official Mixer’s Manual, cautioned that the mix of spirits could bring on “sudden intoxication” and “sick headaches.” That hasn’t stopped bartenders from revisiting it.
Ryan Gannon, bar director for Ingas Bar and the new restaurant Lonnie’s, has spent two decades perfecting his version of the drink. He first found the recipe in The Savoy Cocktail Book about 20 years ago, and he has been tweaking it ever since.
The Drink’s 1929 Origins
The cocktail first appeared in print in 1929 in Frank Shay’s Drawn from the Wood. That early version featured gin, Bacardi rum and Cointreau. By 1930, the drink had crossed the Atlantic with two major changes: gin was swapped for Cognac, and lemon juice was added.
Those changes pushed the drink into Sidecar territory. The Savoy Cocktail Book inclusion cemented the Between the Sheets’ legacy, and it became the source Gannon turned to when he first started making the drink.
Gannon’s Two Decades of Tweaks
Gannon has been adjusting his recipe for roughly 20 years. He recalls adding a significant measure of lemon and introducing simple syrup, approaching it almost like an equal-parts drink.
He continued refining it during eight years at Cure in New Orleans, where it appeared on the “Cocktails We Love” section of the menu. There, he used El Dorado 3 for the rum and Pierre Ferrand for the Cognac.
The Smaller Backbar at Lonnie’s
Gannon’s tastes have shifted over the years, and so has the nature of bar programs. At Lonnie’s, he works with a much smaller backbar, so he prioritizes versatile ingredients that work across classics and original drinks.
For the Cognac, Gannon likes Frapin 1270. He says it splits the difference between richer expressions like Pierre Ferrand and the lightness he feels the drink requires.
“It’s not a rum and cognac drink, it’s a Cognac drink that you just proofed up without really adding anything.”
Choosing the Right Rum
The rum in the Between the Sheets is an old-school Bacardi-style rum—aged Cuban rum with the color filtered out. Gannon says a bit of funkiness is necessary for the drink.
He turns to Probitas, a blend of funky pot-still Jamaican rum and clean, light Coffey-still rum from Barbados. That combination stands up to the brandy in the recipe.
The Orange Liqueur Question
The choice of orange liqueur matters as much as the two main spirits. Gannon has tried traditional French triple secs, including the Cointreau from the original recipe, and Combier, which he describes as “candied.”
At both Lonnie’s and Ingas Bar, he carries just one orange liqueur: Flor de Azar. Distilled with a variety of citrus including oranges, pomelos, mandarins and lime, the agave-sweetened spirit also features tuberose, orange blossom, black pepper and cardamom.
Bitters and a Lemon Twist
Gannon pairs it with Regans’ orange bitters, which carry a distinct cardamom note. He finishes the drink by expressing and discarding a lemon twist.
A Surprising Hit
So far, Gannon has offered the Between the Sheets as an occasional special, and it has been a surprising hit. He bills it as an excellent apéritif for a restaurant bar setting.
He still uses cocktail history as his point of reference when suggesting it to guests. “It’s like a tropical sidecar,” he says. “Like if a Daiquiri and a Sidecar had a baby.”
That history includes the warning from 1934, but Gannon seems happy to keep that legacy alive. The drink has found its audience at Lonnie’s, one special at a time.
Source: punchdrink.com
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