If there’s anything that’s been consistent about this site in its near-20 years of beaming (babbling?) hypertext to servers and back to you, it’s that I’m very bossy when I get into something new, especially cocktails. When I fell in love with Porch Swings, I wanted you to as well. Ditto for Blood Orange Margaritas (but only when in season), a Perfect Manhattan era that spanned over a decade, Boulevardier that has been woven into almost every year since, and a Slushy Paper Plane phase last year. This past winter and spring still, it’s been Sidecars, 1920s-era cocktails with about as many conflicting stories as my kids regale us with when they didn’t do their homework.
In the one I find the most amusing, an American army captain in World War 1-era Paris would apparently roll up to a bar in a motorcycle sidecar — I have many questions including: who was the driver? — and became a regular at Hôtel Ritz Paris or possibly Harry’s New York Bar, depending on who is telling the story. The captain would order a mix of cognac, orange liqueur, and lemon juice and eventually, bartenders named the drink after his particular vehicular quirk.
In other origin stories, bartenders serve the drink with a little extra leftover from the cocktail shaker poured into a second glass… that they called the sidecar. Again, maybe it’s true, but I’m a skeptic, albeit a bemused one. I’m far more interested in its taste. I saw it referred to as the French cousin of a margarita, and honestly, I get it — it’s strong (from cognac), bright (from lemon), and slightly sweet (from orange liqueur) but balanced, as daisy drinks often are. Typically the sidecar is served with a sugared rim which I find completely unnecessary for taste (it is sweet enough) but cannot resist the way raw sugar gets a golden glint to it and include it here. We all need a little extra sparkle sometimes, right?
P.S. My cookbooks are on sale through the wonderful, independent Porchlight Books and if you order any one, two, or three of them, they will include a Mother’s Day card signed by me (and occasionally my 10 year-old). Order by Monday 4/27 to get the gift(s) in time for 5/10. [Smitten Kitchen Cookbook Sale]
Sidecar
- 1 ounce (30 ml or 2 tablespoons) lemon juice, plus an extra wedge for a sugared rim
- Raw or turbinado sugar, for the rim (optional)
- 3 ounces (90 ml or 6 tablespoons) cognac or brandy
- 1 1/2 ounces (45 ml or 3 tablespoons) cointreau or triple sec
Previously
6 months ago: Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
1 year ago: Steamed Artichokes
2 years ago: Charred Salt and Vinegar Cabbage
3 years ago: Baby Wedge Salad with Avocado and Pickled Onions
4 years ago: Chicken Liver Pâté
5 years ago: Sheet Pan Chow Mein
6 years ago: Crispy Crumbled Potatoes
7 years ago: Essential French Onion Soup
8 years ago: Asparagus and Egg Salad with Walnuts and Mint
9 years ago: Cornbread Waffles and Mushroom Tartines
10 years ago: Sesame Soba and Ribboned Omelet Salad and Apricot Hazelnut Brown Butter Hamantaschen
11 years ago: The Consolation Prize (A Mocktail) and Baked Chickpeas with Pita Chips and Yogurt
12 years ago: Whole-Grain Cinnamon Swirl Bread
13 years ago: Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Feta and Tahini
14 years ago: Soft Eggs with Buttery Herb-Gruyere Toast Soldiers
15 years ago: Spaetzle
16 years ago: Irish Soda Bread Scones and Spinach and Chickpeas
17 years ago: Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Strawberry Sauce and Bialys
18 years ago: Caramel Walnut Banana Upside Down Cake and Swiss Easter Rice Tart
19 years ago: Mixed Berry Pavlova
Deb thank you for the link to a “daisy” cocktail! A wee pearl hidden in your notes. 😘
I love a sidecar! Can’t wait to try your version.
What brand are your coupe glasses? Have been looking for 4-6oz range and these look close to that
In 2000, when I was a mere 12 year old I first encountered the sidecar as the signature drink of The Dowager Princess Clarisse Renaldo of Genovia. I filed it away in the back of my mind until my 20s, when I decided in a sea of cosmos and lemon drops I would be *unique and sophisticated* and deemed the Sidecar my signature cocktail. Thank goodness I still love them and try to convert people to it regularly, especially in the winter.
If you’re looking for another cocktail to add to the repertoire can I suggest the Blood and Sand? It’s classically equal parts Scotch (I usually use bourbonk), sweet vermouth, orange juice, and cherry heering.
The sidecar always makes me think of Grandmere as well! IIRC it’s even in the quiz she gives Mia at one point.
Mmmmmmm, sidecars. I didn’t realize that bourbon was an option, and it’s what I have atm. Yay!