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Sidecar

Sidecar

ClassicIBA Official

Cognac, orange, and a bright citrus snap.

After DinnerCitrusySpirit-ForwardClassic
3 minMediumStrong

Rich, tart, and elegant. Cognac's dried-fruit and oak warmth forms the base, orange liqueur adds a bittersweet citrus depth, and fresh lemon cuts it all clean. A sugar rim softens the first sip. Sophisticated and bracingly balanced — a grown-up sour.

Ingredients

  • 2 oz Cognac
  • 0.75 oz Orange Liqueur
  • 0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
  • Sugar rim · optional garnish
  • Orange twist · optional garnish

Method

  1. 1

    Rim a chilled coupe with sugar, if you like, and set aside.

  2. 2

    Add the cognac, orange liqueur, and lemon juice to a shaker with ice.

  3. 3

    Shake until well-chilled and double-strain into the coupe.

  4. 4

    Express an orange twist over the top and drop it in.

The Story

The Sidecar emerged around the end of the First World War, claimed by both the Ritz in Paris and Buck's Club in London, and named — the story goes — for an officer chauffeured to his favorite bar in a motorcycle sidecar. It belongs to the "sour" family, swapping the base spirit for cognac and the sweetener for orange liqueur. Elegant and sharp, it's one of the great brandy cocktails.

Glass · Coupe glassGarnish · Sugar rim, Orange twist

Recipe card

The whole recipe in one shareable image.

Sidecar recipe infographic