Sidecar

Recipe: Sidecar (serves one)

• 1 1/2 oz. Cognac
• 3/4 oz. Cointreau
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• Sugar and lemon wedge for rim of glass
• Slice of lemon peel

Rub the rim of a martini glass with the lemon wedge. Pour some sugar onto a plate and rim the glass with it. Shake Cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Pour into glass and add lemon peel.

The sidecar is a classic drink with a perfect mixture of sweet and sour flavors. It’s a precursor to the margarita, which replaces the Cognac with tequila, the lemon juice with lime juice, and the sugar rim with salt. Legend has it that it was invented for a World War I army officer who would travel to a bar in Paris in the sidecar of a chauffeur-driven motorcycle.

The Cognac. We like to use Rémy Martin VSOP.

The sugar. We used superfine sugar, but the regular kind is fine too.