How to make ...
Sidecar
This French creation is a solid favourite among bartenders and serious drinkers, but the Sidecar is a drink that is a little overlooked by general punters.
Ingredients
37.5ml Cognac or Brandy
12.5ml Triple Sec
25ml Lemon Juice
Demarara Sugar for rim
Lemon Twist to garnish
Times:
Prep: 2 Minutes
Make: 30 Seconds
Total: 2 Minutes and 30 Seconds
Calories:
184 calories
Allergens:
No common allergens to be found, although, since every body is different, we advise you check out this recipe's ingredients list just to be sure!
Servings:
Serves 1
Method
Chill a martini glass/coupette in the freezer or fill it with ice.
Take your Boston glass or small tin and, using your jigger to measure, add the brandy and triple sec to the shaker.
Using your Mexican elbow and a jigger to measure, squeeze 25ml of lemon juice and add it to the shaker.
Fill your shaker with cubed ice and seal using your Boston tin or lid, before shaking vigorously for 10-15 seconds or until your tin is very cold.
Remove your glass from the freezer or empty it of ice if necessary.
Use a lemon wedge to coat the rim of the glass, and dip the wet rim in demerara sugar or carefully sprinkle it over to give the glass a sugar rim.
Using your Hawthorne strainer and your fine strainer, double strain your cocktail into your chilled, rimmed martini glass or coupette.
Garnish with a lemon twist.
Serve and enjoy!
Equipment
Shaker
Jigger/Measure
Hawthorne Strainer
Fine Strainer
Mexican Elbow
Cubed Ice
History
The history of the Sidecar is spread over three countries, France, England, and America. Its first written appearances comes in 1919.
In his 1948 Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, David A. Embury writes:
“It was invented by a friend of mine at a bar in Paris during World War I and was named after the motorcycle sidecar in which the good captain customarily was driven to and from the little bistro where the drink was born and christened.”
Whilst the name of the bartender isn’t given it’s thought that it was created at Harry’s New York bar in Paris. The Sidecar then later crossed over The Channel and was introduced to London by Pat MacGarry at London’s Bucks Club. Dale DeGroff has a different perspective on how the Sidecar was named:
“The word sidecar means something totally different in the world of the cocktail: if the bartender misses his mark on ingredient quantities so when he strains the drink into the serving glass there’s a bit left over in the shaker, he pours out that little extra into a shot glass on the side – that little glass is called a sidecar.”
The Sidecar’s invention is very much disputed. It could have been named for an American army captain who frequented Harry’s New York bar in Paris around 1920, using the motorcycle sidecar to take its name.
Others claim it could have been invented in New Orleans, making it one of the better cocktails to appear out of prohibition.
