Classic Drinks: The Sidecar Cocktail Recipe

This sidecar cocktail recipe is a classic for a reason. The cognac cocktail is flavored with lemon and orange for a refreshing citrus drink. It's easy to make and delicious to drink!

Whenever we host at our place, I love to include a cocktail for the evening. Wine is great, but there is something about a craft cocktail that makes it feel like an extra special event. For Christmas Eve with my family, I love sugared cranberry margaritas and this blackberry thyme sparkler has been made for the last three New Year's Eves in a row! For an intimate dinner party, though, I love a classic cocktail. Enter this Sidecar Cocktail Recipe.

How do you make a Sidecar Drink? Here's the Step by Step:

1. Begin by peeling a large section of each of the lemon rinds and placing it aside for garnish.
2. Next, cut each of the lemons into halves.
3. Place sugar on a small plate. Moisten the rim of a coupe glass with lemon juice by placing them upside down on the cutting board that you used to halve the lemons. Next dip each glass into the sugar; shake off the excess and set aside.
4. Combine cognac, orange liqueur, and 2 ounces of fresh squeezed lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice, cover, and shake vigorously until outside of shaker is very cold, about 20 seconds.
5. Strain cocktail into glass and enjoy immediately.

The Origin of the Sidecar Cocktail

The origins for this classic cocktail date back to the 1920s, although different publications tout different ratios of the ingredients. The Sidecar Cocktail is thought to have been the invention of an army captain in Paris during World War 1 and named after the motorcycle sidecar that he used.

What is in a Sidecar? Sidecar Ingredients:

This cocktail has exactly three ingredients if you don't count the sugar on the rim and, you know what? It doesn't need any more.

• Lemon juice
• Cognac
• Orange liqueur

It's perfectly simple and simply perfect.

How Do You Serve A Sidecar?

The sidecar should be served straight up and without ice - it is shaken with ice so it is cold before it is poured into the glass. I like serving them in coupe glasses and the sugar rim cuts through the tart citrus flavor. Finish with a little lemon peel for garnish.

Top Tips For Making A Sidecar Cocktail

• Use fresh lemon juice, not the bottled store bought varieties.
• Shake the shaker until it is cold to the touch.
• Garnish with a lemon twist
• Serve immediately.

Substitutes for Cognac

Brandy refers to any spirit that is distilled from fruit-based wine, though in general it refers to grape wines. Cognac is a specific type of brandy produced from distilled white wine. It is made from grapes that are produced in or around the Cognac region of France. In order to be labeled cognac, it must be aged for at least two years in oak casks. While all cognacs are brandies, not all brandies are cognacs because of these strict requirements. If you're looking to substitute cognac in this cocktail for something less expensive or more accessible, try another type of brandy. If you have whiskey or bourbon around, you can also substitute these for the cognac. Whiskey and bourbon tend to be slightly less sweet so that will give your Sidecar cocktail a slightly different taste. 

Sidecar Cocktail Recipe

Jen Pinkston

This classic cocktail is smooth and citrusy!

4.60 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Servings 2 cocktails

Calories 251 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• Superfine Sugar for serving
• 2 lemons you'll need 2 ounces of fresh lemon juice as well as the peel for garnish
• 4 ounces Cognac or other type of brandy
• 2 ounces orange liqueur I really like the Patrón Citrónge

Instructions

 

• Begin by peeling a large section of each of the lemon rinds and placing it aside for garnish.
• Next, cut each of the lemons into halves.
• Place sugar on a small plate. Moisten half of rim of a coupe glass with a little of the lemon juice by placing it upside down on the cutting board. Next dip each glass into the sugar; shake off the excess and set aside.
• Combine cognac, orange liqueur, and 2 ounces of fresh squeezed lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice, cover, and shake vigorously until outside of shaker is very cold, about 20 seconds.
• Strain cocktail into glass and enjoy immediately. Garnish with lemon peel.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Sidecar Cocktail Recipe

Amount per Serving

Calories

251

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

1

g

2

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Sodium

 

5

mg

0

%

Potassium

 

149

mg

4

%

Carbohydrates

 

20

g

7

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

12

g

13

%

Protein

 

1

g

2

%

Vitamin C

 

57

mg

69

%

Calcium

 

28

mg

3

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword brandy cocktails, classic cocktail recipe, cognac cocktail, sidecar cocktail recipe

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If you've tried this cocktail I'd love to hear from you! Be sure to leave a star rating and a comment below!

Be sure to check out these other cocktail recipes:

Vanilla Pumpkin Spice Mules

Stone Fruit Summertime Sangria

Springtime Whiskey Sour Recipe

Berry Mezcal Cooler

Smokey Old Fashioned

Photography for this Sidecar Cocktail Recipe by Katie Jameson