Bourbon Sidecar
Bourbon, orange liqueur and lemon, shaken. The Sidecar with the cognac swapped for a whiskey — rounder, sweeter and a little more American.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe; sugar half the rim if you want it.
Add the bourbon, orange liqueur and lemon juice to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12 seconds.
Double strain into the chilled coupe and express a lemon twist over the top.
A thoughtful finish
- A higher-proof bourbon stands up better to the liqueur and lemon.
- Equal orange liqueur and lemon keeps it balanced; drop the liqueur to half an ounce if your bourbon is sweet.
- The sugar rim is optional with bourbon — it is sweeter than cognac to begin with.
Common mistakes
- A sweet, low-proof orange liqueur, which makes it syrupy.
- Bottled lemon juice.
- Rimming the whole glass; half a rim lets the drinker choose.
A few good questions.
What does a Bourbon Sidecar taste like?
A bright whiskey sour with orange instead of sugar — rounder and sweeter than the cognac Sidecar.
Is it better than the original?
Different. Cognac is drier and more elegant; bourbon is fuller and friendlier.
Rye or bourbon?
Bourbon is the name; rye makes a drier, spicier drink that some prefer.
What is a Sidecar?
Cognac, orange liqueur and lemon, shaken — about 1920, Paris or London.
Variations
- Sidecar — The cognac original.
- Whiskey Sour — Bourbon, lemon and sugar.
- Chelsea Sidecar — Gin in place of the cognac.
- Between the Sheets — Cognac, rum, orange liqueur and lemon.
Where it comes from
c. 1980s · United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Sidecar is a Paris or London drink of about 1920, cognac with orange liqueur and lemon, and its bourbon version has no single inventor: it is the natural move of an American bar with better bourbon than cognac on the shelf, and it appears under this name in bar guides from the 1980s on. The corn sweetness and vanilla of bourbon make a softer, rounder sour than the cognac original, and a sugar rim is less necessary. It is a sensible house drink wherever bourbon is the default brown spirit, and it is a good introduction to the Sidecar for people who think they do not like brandy.
Sources
- Gary Regan, The Joy of Mixology, 2003 (book)
- Dale DeGroff, The Craft of the Cocktail, 2002 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Bourbon Sidecar, 2014 (reference)
Strength. About 2 US standard drinks at an estimated 27.4% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
A keeper?
Save this drink for your next cocktail hour.
Saved in this browser.The next great drink
might already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Discover what you can make.