Whenever I walk into a classy bar, I opt for a bourbon sidecar. The sidecar exudes timeless class in the form of a cocktail. Think of it as the little black dress of cocktails. I love this cocktail so much that Keith and I had a bourbon sidecar toast at our wedding instead of the traditional champagne.
Like any of the classic cocktails, the origins of a sidecar is a little murky. The most famous of the stories features an anonymous American army capital who liked to ride in a motorcycle sidecar invented it during the 1920s in Paris. Others will have you believe is was developed during WWI in London. And there's yet another story of it being developed in New Orleans. Depending on which story you follow, it is traditionally made with equal parts brandy or cognac, an orange liqueur and lemon juice. Although, the portions have also been found to vary.
My version pays tribute to my favorite cocktail base - bourbon. I stick with the equal parts of bourbon, orange liqueur, and take advantage of meyer lemons which are in now easily available in the grocery store. I hope this becomes one of your go to classics.
Bourbon Sidecar
Makes one cocktail
2 oz. bourbon
2 oz. Cointreau (Or other orange liqueur, such as Triple Sec)
2 oz. Meyer lemon juice
Cut a wedge of lemon and rim your cocktail glass with superfine sugar. Allow the sugar rim to dry while you make your cocktail. In a shaker filled with ice, add your bourbon, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.
Cheers!
