Cocktail of the Month- August: Sidecar

The Sidecar, like many vintage cocktails, appears to be of dubious origins. Many tales credit its creation to Harry's Bar in Paris- inspired by an American officer during World War One. Others have a similar story substituting London's Buck's Club. The most reasonable (I think) explanation being both establishments based their drink on an old 19th Century cocktail from - where else- New Orleans. 

If one traces back the recipe, it takes on a distinctly New Orleans flair. The mixture of French Cognac and Curaçao from the Spanish Islands reflects the mix of nationalities  present in the very distinct world of New Orleans.  Curaçao, over time, was replaced by Cointreau - as the drink gained in popularity and needed an orange liquor that was reliably and consistently produced (the early Curaçao was not). When Curaçao production stabilized it included blue food dye- which would totally change the classic look of this drink. 

In the French style, the Sidecar is made with equal parts cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice. In contrast the English sidecar has 2 parts cognac to one part Cointreau and one part lemon juice. Traditionally the glass is rimmed with sugar (orange infused if you are really fancy) and garnished with an orange peel twist. 

We chose to make our sidecar in the English style - as we prefer a lighter citrus note- and eliminated the sugar - rim as we don't like overly sweet flavors.  We used Christian Brothers XO Brandy - if you have a favorite brandy its a great substitution. 

We enjoyed the the flavor of this drink, and it's perfect for a hit August night! 

RECIPE 

2 oz. Cognac 

1 oz. Cointreau

1 oz. Lemon juice (we used fresh squeezed) 

If you choose to rm the glass, rub it with the squeezed lemon and dip into a plate of sugar. 

Measure liquids into a shaker of ice, shake well, strain into your rimmed glass and enjoy! 

Cheers! 

Christine and Stacy