The sidecar was invented in the early twentieth century somewhere on a ferry and motorcycle drive between London and Paris. As it remains an ongoing debate between the Brits and French as to whose capital it came out of, we’ll let that dog lie for now. What a Gentleman should know about sidecars, both the vehicle and drink, is that they are always in excellent company.
Classic Sidecar:
- 1-2 parts Cognac
- 1 part Cointreau
- 1 part lemon juice
- Orange twist
Steps:
Rub out the inside of your martini glass with a lemon (or lemon juice the way you would vermouth for a martini), and then give your rim a sugar coat. This is optional of course. Then take your equal parts cognac (or 2 parts), Cointreau, and lemon juice into ice and shake well. Strain, top with an orange or lemon twist, and enjoy.
Variations:
As fate would have it, the Americans also lay claim to the sidecar with other variations of brandy as substitute for cognac (itself a brandy).
You can of course vary the amounts of cognac for a drier or sweeter body to the drink.
Cointreau can be replaced with Curacao or Triple Sec.
And don’t get carried away with the sugar.
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