Master The Classics: Sidecar

The Sidecar, yat another cocktail we don't know too much about. A lot of this mystery is just due to the fact that not many people really decided to write down much about cocktails and until Jerry Thomas decided to write down recipes ( and he was the only one of his era to do so) the histories were largely passed around by word of mouth. And as David Wondrich so aptly put it that those histories were largely inaccurate because it was being told by people who were drinking! What we do know is that it started being shown in print in the 1920's and a bunch of different bartenders lay claim to it's invention including Harry McElhone and Robert Vermier. There is also some history that suggests it was born in New Orleans and it's quite obvious that the sidecar was born from the Brandy Crusta (we have a video on that and you should check it out). Back to the sidecar and we have still more rumor of it's invention. Many believe it was created At Harry's bar in Paris requested by some unnamed Army captain who rode up to the bar in a Sidecar. Dale Degroff tends to look at the name of the drink from a bartenders perspective, observing: "The word sidecar means something totally different in the world of the cocktail: if the bartender misses his mark on ingredient quantities so when he strains the drink into the serving glass there’s a bit left over in the shaker, he pours out that little extra into a shot glass on the side – that little glass is called a sidecar.”

This drink is also a little problematic as the quality of it is wholly dependent on it's ingedients. To some bartenders making a very palatable Sidecar is the mark of someone who has mastered the craft of cocktail making. Either way this is a must drink to know how to make an have in your repertoire. Personally I love a well made Sidecar.
Cheers!

Here's The Specs:

1.5oz (45ml) Cognac
1oz (30ml) Cointreau
.5oz (15ml) Lemon Juice
Sugar Rim

Here's links to the tools I'm using in the episode:
Graduated Jigger: https://amzn.to/2PFd64T
Barfly Mixology Gear Shaking Set: https://amzn.to/2NntMw0
Ice Scoop: https://amzn.to/2BPVlwT
Barfly Gold Strainer: https://amzn.to/2NnT8di
Barfly Gold Fine Strainer: https://amzn.to/2weM10q

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