THIRSTY THURSDAY #6 Reference: cocktails.about/od/s/r/side_car_cktl.htm What springs to mind when hear the word, sidecar? Wallace and Gromit? Or perhaps the famous, Steve Webster, with ten world championships? Being a drinker (hic!) I think of the sidecar cocktail. The Sidecar was reportedly created in Paris during WWI and was generally made with Cognac or Armagnac. Lately though, it is more commonly made with bourbon (Bourbon Sidecar) as opposed to brandy. Do be careful when varying ratios with this recipe, as its important to find the balance of sweet and sour. If you would like to make this a touch sweeter, try substituting the Spanish brandy de Jerez for the Cognac. A classic addition to the Sidecar, which was mentioned in recipes from the early 1930s, was to rim the glass with sugar. This is a nice contrast to the sour drink. Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces Cognac or Armagnac, or bourbon 1 ounce Cointreau or triple sec orange liqueur 1/2 ounce lemon juice Lemon twist for garnish Sugar for rimming (optional) Preparation: If desired, rim a chilled cocktail glass with sugar. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into the prepared cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. As most origins of cocktails go, there are a few versions of how the Sidecar came into being. One story, as told by David Embury in The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1948), says that it was developed in a Parisian bistro during World War I by a friend who rode to the favourite bar in the sidecar of a motorcycle. Which bar this was is left to speculation, but it is popularly thought to be Harrys New York Bar. Another claim to the Sidecar invention attributes Frank Meier who worked at the Paris Ritz. As Gaz Regan pointed out in The Joy of Mixology, this was later disputed by a man named Bertin who worked at the Ritz after Meier. The next story moves to Bucks Club in London. In his 1922 book, Harrys ABC of Mixing Cocktails, Harry MacElhone credits the drink to Pat MacGarry, one of the great bartenders of the day. This was also backed up in Robert Vermeires 1922 Cocktails and How to Mix Them. Who cares? Ill drink to the man - or woman - that invented it, whomever they might be. Serefé.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Apr 2014 07:27:55 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015