Edgar’s Bar Book Edgars

Sour · c.1922

Sidecar

Cognac, orange liqueur, lemon. The sour in evening dress.

Batch it

Specification

Cognac VSOP50 ml
Cointreau20 ml
Fresh lemon juice20 ml
Sugar rimoptional half
Batch it for a party

Method

  1. 01Chill a coupe, sugar half the rim if you like.
  2. 02Shake all three with ice for 12 seconds.
  3. 03Double strain into the coupe.
  4. 04Garnish with a lemon twist.
Walk through it step by step

Where it comes from

Claimed by both the Ritz in Paris and Buck's Club in London in the early 1920s, named for an officer who arrived at the bar in a motorcycle sidecar. It is the Margarita's older European cousin, built on the same skeleton.

If you change one thing: Cognac carries more sugar than tequila, so keep the liqueur and lemon equal. Any more Cointreau and it turns into candy.

More like this

French 75A gin sour lengthened with Champagne. Named after a field gun for good reason. CosmopolitanA vodka sour with cranberry and orange liqueur. Better than its reputation. Pisco SourPeru's national sour, capped with foam and three drops of bitters.