You want a classic cocktail, but you’re tired of the same old stuff. This, I totally understand. You want something a little different, a little fun, a little funky, but something that has withstood the test of time. Give the boxcar a try. You’ll enjoy it. Unless you don’t enjoy gin, then you’re probably outta luck.

I’ve attempted to hunt down some history on this cocktail and it’s pretty sparse. From all I can determine, it comes from around the Prohibition, which can lead to some questionable things. (Exploding bathtub gin anyone?) The boxcar, happily, isn’t going to make you go blind.

You can think of this as a funky little sidecar with gin. The lemon juice (check), the Cointreau (check), in a cocktail glass (ok, that one is a bit of a stretch, but you get the idea). Adding to the fun factor is an egg white. Can you leave it out? Sure, I guess you can. If you’re the kind of person who gets an egg white omelet, eats steaks burnt (or “well done” as you might call them) and doesn’t ever want to try something new, then yeah, feel free to leave them out of this drink.

For the rest of us, enjoy it as you’re supposed to — with egg whites for extra creaminess without adding any cream. Ride that boxcar to glory people.

Oh, as usual, I ditched the Cointreau for Grand Marnier. Totally a personal preference (I’m still not convinced Cointreau isn’t just extra sugary), but try it out with both and see which you prefer. Bonus? You get to drink two.

Boxcar

• 4 oz. gin
• 1 oz. Grand Marnier
• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. grenadine
• Egg white

Instructions

Glass type: Cocktail

Rim you cocktail glass in sugar. Add all of your ingredients, shake like a machine for a good 60 seconds (gotta froth those egg whites). Strain into your rimmed glass. Enjoy. Repeat.