Refreshing Beverage of the Week
After tasting the Santa Fe Spirits' Sidecar, made with their Apple Brandy, I figured I'd look into — and share — the Sidecar.
And it turns out that its recipe is about as convoluted as its origin. Thought to have originated in France around WWI, either at the Ritz or a bistro, and named after a patron who commuted via sidecar, it may have had its origin later and across the Channel. The one constant is that it's made with Cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice.
The Sidecar is considered a Sour (discussed here); following that rule, its proportions would be 3 parts brandy + 2 parts Cointreau + 1 part lemon juice. But opinions differ; the traditional "French" method has equal parts of all three, and contemporary bartenders seem to circle around equal amounts of Cointreau and lemon juice.
The only way to find out what's best for you is to mix one.
Ingredients
1.5 oz Cognac or other brandy
1 oz. (or .75 oz. or .5 oz) Cointreau
.5 oz. (or .75 oz or .5 oz) lemon juice
Procedure
Combine ingredients and shake well with cracked ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass (optionally, with rim coated in lemon juice and sugar) and garnish with a lemon peel.
