Sidecar

The Sidecar was first created in the early 1920s, but the question of who was the first to create this tasty cocktail is a story of two halves.

The creation of the Sidecar is attributed to Pat MacGarry, who in the 1920s was a well-known barman at the Bucks Club in London, but it is Harry MacElhone who is said to have popularized the Sidecar (at least to Parisians) in his Paris bar.

The fact that both MacGarry and MacElhone worked together at the Bucks Club when it opened in 1919 could lead us to believe that the Sidecar was developed presumably by MacGarry during MacElhone’s time at the Bucks Club. MacElhone then naturally took the cocktail with him when he crossed the English Channel and set out on his own in Paris.

So whichever of these two men actually created the Sidecar is irrelevant, as both men are attributed with this delicious and simple cocktail which is still popular over 100 years later.

Whether you have Triple Sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier in your cabinet is not important as any of these three will make a very enjoyable Sidecar, what is important though is your choice of Cognac/Armagnac. Some would say that for mixing you can easily use a VS Cognac/Armagnac, and while this may be correct for any number of mixed drinks it is my own opinion that for a cocktail of only three ingredients you really want to use the best Cognac/Armagnac that you can get. With this in mind I would recommend that a VSOP Cognac/Armagnac should be your entry point, but if you have an XO in your cabinet it will make a very nice Sidecar with a lot of depth of flavour.

It is not uncommon to add a little sugar syrup (1-2 tsp) to balance out the citrussy nature of the Sidecar. In the 1920s it was normal for a Sidecar to be served in a glass with a sugared rim, either method will perform the same function, but for me a sugared rim is a little too messy, so I would recommend adding one to two teaspoons of sugar syrup.

Of course, sweetness is a personal choice so why not try the Sidecar without any added sweetener first and see where this takes you!

50ml Cognac/Armagnac

30ml Cointreau

15ml Lemon Juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain using a fine strainer into a chilled coupe glass with a sugared rim. For the garnish a lemon zest twisted over the top of the glass can be discarded or included before serving.