SIDECAR COCKTAIL
The Sidecar is a classic cocktail traditionally made with cognac, orange liqueur (Cointreau, Grand Marnier or another triple sec), and lemon juice. In its ingredients, the drink is perhaps most closely related to the older Brandy Daisy, which differs both in presentation and in proportions of its components.
Origin
The exact origin of the Sidecar is unclear, but it is thought to have been invented around the end of World War I in either London or Paris. The Ritz Hotel in Paris claims origin of the drink. The first recipes for the Sidecar appear in 1922, in Harry MacElhone’s Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails and Robert Vermeire’s Cocktails and How to Mix Them. It is one of six basic drinks listed in David A. Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1948).
Apparently the Sidecar became famous in Harry’s Bar in Paris.
Both MacElhone and Vermiere state the recipe as equal parts cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice, now known as “the French school”. Later, an “English school” of Sidecars emerged, as found in the Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), which call for two parts cognac and one part each of Cointreau and lemon juice.
Embury recommends the same proportions (8:2:1) making a much less sweet Sidecar. However, Simon Difford, in his book “Encyclopedia of Cocktails,” notes Harry Craddock’s ratio of 2:1:1 in “The Savory Cocktail Book,” and then suggests a middle ground of 3:2:2, calling Embury’s Daiquiri formula “overly dry” for a sidecar.
Alternatives are as follows:
▪ Brandy Daisy — yellow Chartreuse, grenadine syrup, or another sweetener often replaces the triple sec of a sidecar; proportions differ for the other ingredients which remain similar
▪ Chelsea Sidecar / White Lady — gin replaces the brandy base
▪ Margarita – tequila replaces the brandy base, while lime juice is also often partially or fully substituted for lemon
▪ Ritz Sidecar — Ritz Fine Champagne 1865 Cognac replaces the brandy base
▪ Boston Sidecar — both light or golden rum and brandy are used, along with lime replacing lemon
▪ Spiced Sidecar — Morgan’s Spiced Rum is used as well as brandy.
Preparation:
▪ If desired, rim a chilled cocktail glass with sugar.
▪ Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes.
▪ Shake well.
▪ Strain into the prepared cocktail glass.
▪ Garnish with a lemon twist.
