This is a cocktail that probably dates back to before the prohibition, some sources statethat it was first recorded in 1919, though I have not been able to check if that is true. At least it has been recorded in the Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Cradock published in 1930. The cocktail combines cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice. Can if we are a bit liberal in the way we interpret this be traced back to the first cocktail book ever published, Jerry Thomas’ The Bartenders Guide from 1862. In this book though it was not named the Sidecar, but thepredecessor to the cocktail is the Brandy Crusta. That cocktail used gum syrup, bitters, brandy, curacao and lemon juice. Though it used significantly lesslemon juice it is easy to see how the sidecar can be a derivative of this 19^thcentury cocktail. This cocktail featured a sugared glass as well, where as many of the early recipes for the Sidecar did not, to me this is something that, to me, shows that today we are aware of the relation between the cocktails. Further this is an example of how cocktail rarely is something that is created completely new, that there are flavours that go well together as well as structures or balances that works well. This, or at least the version I make,the Harry Cradock version, can be seen in the White Lady, also documented early on by Cradock. As it is with these classics there is often no specific time point that is the first proper creation date, though they appeared for thefirst time in writing at some point and the author tends to be considered the creator of the cocktail, unless credit has been given to someone else.

This is, for me a cocktail that is perfect before the dinner, especially the way I make it. Being quite dry and tart it makes me want to either eat something or drink something else. The smoothness of the cognac is offset by the lemon juice and the Cointreau not particularly sweet does not help the cocktail in the smoothness dimension. I would not consider this to be a beginner cocktail the way I didit, however by adding simple syrup it would probably be to the taste of more people. Thus, I would suggest that if you are not particularly into sour or tart cocktails, you should add perhaps a quarter of an ounce or half an ounce of simple syrup to the cocktail.

My Recipe:

• 1.5 oz (4.5 cl) Cognac
• 0.75 oz (2.25 cl) Cointreau
• 0.75 oz (2.25 cl) Lemon Juice

Add the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. To prepare the glass, rub the outside of half of the rim a chilled Nick and Nora glass with a lemon. Dip the lemony part of the glass in sugar, making the sugar stick to the outside of the rim. Strain the cocktail into the prepared glass and serve.