The Sidecar is a classic sour cocktail. The Ritz Hotel in Paris claims to have made the first ever cocktail by this name in the early 20th century. The Sidecar is definitely a slow sipper. It is the kind of cocktail that gets better with every sip (bitter at first, amazing with each sip after), as the warm sweet flavours marry together with the citrus.
The Sidecar is a blend of 3 simple ingredients: cognac, cointreau and freshly squeezed lemon juice. The sweetness of the cointreau and the caramel undertones of the cognac need the harshness of freshly squeezed lemon juice to balance.
While researching this cocktail, myself and my recipe testers completed five separate taste tests, playing with grapefruit, and thyme simple syrup substitutions. In the end, we all agreed the original recipe was the best. Why mess with a good thing...the Sidecar is a classic. There's a reason people across the globe have been sipping it for hundreds of years.
So, below is a slightly tweaked recipe of the classic Sidecar Cocktail. I hope you enjoy!
Happy weekend,
Krista
The Sidecar Cocktail
makes 1 drink
Ingredients
1.5 oz cognac
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz cointreau
lemon peel twist, garnish (optional - most Sidecar's do not include a garnish)
Method
In a cocktail tin add cognac, lemon juice and cointreau. Top with ice. Add lid and shake for 30 seconds or until the tin is chilled. Strain into a coupe cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon peel twist.
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