Sidecar
Cognac, orange liqueur and lemon. The brandy sour that every other brandy sour is measured against.
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. If you want a sugar rim, wet the outside edge of half the rim and roll it in superfine sugar.
Add the cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12-15 seconds.
Double strain into the chilled coupe, pouring away from the sugared side.
A thoughtful finish
- Sugar half the rim at most, and only on the outside. It lets the drinker choose, and it keeps sugar out of the drink itself.
- Mix with VS or VSOP, not XO. An expensive aged Cognac's subtleties disappear completely under lemon and orange liqueur.
- Use a dry orange liqueur. A cheap sweet triple sec makes the drink syrupy and there is nothing bitter here to rescue it.
Common mistakes
- Sugaring the whole rim, which makes every sip sweeter than the drink.
- Equal parts by default. The 1:1:1 build in the early books is bracingly sour to modern palates — start brandy-forward and adjust.
- Shaking with a cheap brandy and expecting the lemon to hide it. It will not.
A few good questions.
What is the correct ratio?
There is no single answer. Early printings give equal parts; the IBA gives 5cl cognac to 2cl each of triple sec and lemon; the common modern build is 2 : 0.75 : 0.75. Start there and adjust the lemon to your fruit.
Can I use brandy instead of Cognac?
Yes. Spanish brandy de Jerez makes a rounder, raisined Sidecar; American brandy works fine. Armagnac is excellent and more rustic.
Does it need a sugar rim?
No, and plenty of bars skip it. It is traditional, it looks good, and if the drink is properly balanced it is unnecessary. Half a rim is the compromise.
What is the difference between a Sidecar and a Between the Sheets?
Between the Sheets adds white rum to the same template, splitting the base between rum and cognac. It is stronger and less focused.
Variations
- Between the Sheets — Cognac and white rum split, with triple sec and lemon.
- White Lady — Gin in place of cognac.
- Margarita — Tequila and lime in place of cognac and lemon.
- Brandy Crusta — Cognac, maraschino, lemon and a full sugar crust.
Where it comes from
c. 1918-1922 · Paris or London · Ritz Paris / Buck's Club
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
Two claims, both from the end of the First World War, neither settled. The Ritz in Paris claims it, and so does Buck’s Club in London. The drink’s first appearances in print are both in 1922 — Harry MacElhone’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails and Robert Vermeire’s Cocktails: How to Mix Them — and Vermeire credits it to ‘MacGarry of Buck’s Club’, which is the closest thing to a contemporary attribution anyone has. The name is said to come from a customer who arrived at the bar in a motorcycle sidecar. The ratio has also drifted: early printings give equal parts, while the modern standard is brandy-forward.
Sources
- Robert Vermeire, Cocktails: How to Mix Them, 1922 (book)
- Harry MacElhone, ABC of Mixing Cocktails, 1922 (book)
- IBA Official Cocktails list, current (standards body)
Strength. About 1.83 US standard drinks at an estimated 25.1% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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