Sidecar Cocktail Recipe
Cognac, orange liqueur and lemon — a crisp, elegant brandy sour.
- Category: The Unforgettables
- Glass: Coupe glass
- ABV: 26%
- Difficulty: Medium
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Cognac50 ml (1.7 oz)
- Triple sec20 ml (0.7 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice20 ml (0.7 oz)
How to Make It
- Optionally rim a coupe with sugar.
- Shake all ingredients with ice.
- Double-strain into the coupe.
- Garnish with orange zest.
Garnish
Sugar rim and orange zest
What it tastes like
The citrus acidity leads.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
A stemmed, shallow coupe. The stem keeps your hand's warmth away from the drink, and the wide bowl carries the aroma to your nose. Served without ice.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Cognac
- Brandy distilled from grapes in the Cognac region of France. VS is young and lively, VSOP rounder; in a cocktail VS is plenty, since VSOP's finesse disappears in the mix.
- Triple sec
- The general name for orange-peel liqueurs, running anywhere from 15% to 40% depending on the brand. That range changes the drink directly, so it is worth reading the label.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly squeezed lemon; one lemon gives 30-40 ml. It can swap with lime, but lemon is softer and less aromatic, so use a touch more.
The Story
Created around the end of World War I, claimed by both Paris and London.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Sidecar mixed?
- It is shaken and served in a coupe.
- How strong is a Sidecar?
- Roughly 26% ABV as served — a spirit-strength drink — sipped slowly, and it wants a glass of water beside it.
- Can a Sidecar be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Sidecar hard to make?
- Moderate. A shaker or mixing glass plus a strainer covers it.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.