Sidecar (cocktail)

For other uses, see Sidecar (disambiguation).

Sidecar

Type	Cocktail
Primary alcohol by volume	Brandy
Served	shaken
Standard garnish	Sugared glass, lemon rind
Standard drinkware	Cocktail glass
Commonly used ingredients	Eight parts brandy or cognac Two parts Cointreau One part lemon juice
Preparation	Mix the ingredients in a shaker half full of ice. Strain and serve in a sugar-rimmed glass. Garnish with a strip of lemon rind

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).

In early editions of MacElhone's book, he cites the inventor as Pat MacGarry, "the Popular bar-tender at Buck's Club, London," but in later editions he cites himself. Vermiere states, "This cocktail is very popular in France. It was first introduced in London by MacGarry, the celebrated bar-tender of Buck's Club." Embury credits the invention of the drink to an American Army captain in Paris during World War I "and named after the motorcycle sidecar in which the good captain was driven to and from the little bistro where the drink was born and christened". Apparently the Sidecar became famous in Harry’s Bar in Paris.

Because of the nature of the ingredients, there is some validity to the Army captain story. A chilly ride in a sidecar would indeed merit a drink capable of warming up the passenger; but most spirits capable of warming are not consumed before dinner (brandy, whisky, etc.). Adding a citrus Cointreau and lemon places the drink back in the apéritif family, therefore making it a perfect mix for a warming cocktail before a meal.

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.

According to Embury, the original Sidecar had several more ingredients, which were "refined away." Embury also states the drink is simply a Daiquiri with brandy as its base rather than rum, and with Cointreau as the sweetening agent rather than sugar syrup. He recommends the same proportions (8:2:1) for both, 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.

The earliest mention of sugaring the rim on a Sidecar glass is 1934, in three different books: Burke's Complete Cocktail & Drinking Recipes, Gordon's Cocktail & Food Recipes, Drinks As They Are Mixed (a revised reprint of Paul E. Lowe's 1904 book).

Related cocktails

• Balalaika - vodka replaces the brandy base
• Bourbon Sidecar — bourbon replaces the brandy base
• 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
• Jack Rose - applejack replaces the brandy base, grenadine syrup replaces triple sec
• Margarita - tequila replaces the brandy base, while lime juice is also often partially or fully substituted for lemon
• Olympic — orange juice replaces the lemon, while Grand Marnier (having orange and brandy in its composition) may be a triple sec of choice
• Pisco Sidecar — Pisco replaces the brandy base
• Ritz Sidecar — Ritz Fine Champagne 1865 Cognac replaces the brandy base
• Rum Sidecar — golden or dark rum is substituted for brandy
  • 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.
• Serbian Sidecar — made with Slivovitz plum brandy, served with orange slice garnish
• Tuaca Sidecar — Tuaca replaces the brandy base, plus triple sec or Grand Marnier, freshly muddled lemons, in a sugar-rimmed glass

See also

• List of cocktails

References

Notes

External links

• Recipe, December 2005 "Cocktail of the Month" at Epicurious
• Drinkboy recipe
• Original recipe at CocktailDB
• Contemporary recipe at CocktailDB