Sidecar
Chill cocktail glass and rim it with sugar. Shake all ingredients over ice. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Ingredient Profile
Details
Notes
The Sidecar was purportedly created in Paris during World War I by an American Army captain who liked to travel to his drinking establishment in the sidecar of his motorcycle. But there are other conflicting accounts of the origin of this drink. There are references to a London bartender named Pat MacGarry as the inventor of the drink.
There is also murkiness on the proportions of the ingredients of a Sidecar. One ratio is equal parts of the three ingredients and is known as "the French school". There is also an "English school" that has a ratio of 2 parts Cognac, 1 part Cointreau, and 1 part lemon juice. This produces a drier drink where the Cognac has more of a chance to peek out from under the lemon juice and sweetener. I present the French school version here.
A sugared rim on the glass appeared in the 1930s and would complement the English school Sidecar's dryness and strength quite nicely.
This really is a good drink. It is basically a brandy-based Daiquiri or Margarita (stripped down to its base ingredients). Do try to use good Cognac or good French brandy. Spanish brandy will make a softer drink. And by all means, don't substitute Triple Sec for the Cointreau.