Classic Cocktails: The Sidecar

The Sidecar

by Michael Frank

The Sidecar cocktail is by far one of most memorable cocktails to come out of American Prohibition. It brings to the table an elegant yet fruit-forward flavor profile that’s complemented by a naturally high acid content. While it goes best with a salty snack, it also makes a perfect aperitif or an aperitivo-- especially with large fatty, rich meals. With all the fruit juice that goes into it, some are deceived into expecting a sweet, easy-to-drink cocktail. Don’t let it fool you though; If you do try to gulp it down you’ll end up coughing. This is a concoction of complexity and power that is designed to be savored and enjoyed patiently.

The common belief is that the sidecar cocktail is named after those funny little attachments that people can put on the side of a motorcycle for a passenger. Another theory as to the origin of the name is that it’s named after a sidecar shot. A shot of sidecar is something you probably won’t see in any first world bars in our modern era. In short, a sidecar shot is when the bartender takes his barmat and dumps whatever liquid has accumulated into a shot glass. It saves on product cost and people love it. In my last bar we did this all the time and believe it or not, it actually doesn’t usually taste half bad.

The lore reads that it was invented by a wounded army field captain that rode between a bar and his encampment in a sidecar during the battles of World War I. Sounds like a tall tale to me, but hey-- good stories sell drinks. 

The actual origin of the cocktail is traced back to the Ritz Carlton of Paris in 1922 and the American refugee bartender Harry MacElhone. Of course, this is a matter of some debate and some would attribute the original mixture to Robert Vermeire who published his book “Cocktails and How to Mix Them” the same year.

The original recipe calls for equal parts Congac, Triple Sec and Lemon Juice. I prefer a take on the more modern and popular version from Harry Craddock’s 1930 "Savoy Cocktail Book." My recipe for this cocktail follows that 1930s tradition while utilizing classic liquor selections and some “relatively” new mixology techniques. You will need the following:

For bar tools…

Jigger 666444

Beehive Juicer 106266

18oz weighted shaker 644344

28oz weighted shaker 678987

Hawthorne strainer 643543

Martini glass 703622

For consumables…

Camus Borderies VSOP Cognac 102722

Cointrieu 106340

Lemons

Step 1

Start by adding 3 ounces of Cognac.

Cognac is really the star of this cocktail and despite all the heavy sugars and citrus we’re building on top of it, we really want that original essence to shine through in all its glory. For this I wouldn’t select anything too elegant or smooth. I’m not suggesting the use of poor quality brandy either though, what we want is something with just a little bit of spice and bite. For me, I like to use Camus Borderies VSOP because of the unique baking spice characteristics that come through on the nose and palate as well as its long and bold finish.

Feel free to swap out and have fun with and other brandy, as well, even if it’s not Cognac. One of the primary factors in the difference between a brandy and a Cognac is that Cognac comes from Cognac, France, and has its own AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlee, the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, spirits, cheeses, butters and other agricultural products). Even if someone somewhere else were to make the same spirit with the same grapes in let’s say Bordeaux, it could only be called brandy. One of my favorite substitutions is Spanish brandy such as Torres 10.

Step 2

Add 1 ounce of Cointreau.

I like to use Cointreau because it’s the most orange-y of all the orange liqueurs, also it's not overly sweet. You can use triple sec too, if you like, but keep in mind it will make things sweeter.

Step 3

Squeeze 1 ounce of fresh lemon juice into your jigger. Don’t do this over the shaker as it will make it hard to keep things accurate. When your jigger is full, dump the fresh squeezed lemon juice into your shaking tin.

Step 4

Fill your other shaker with ice, put the two together and shake the heck out of it! Make sure you hold both cups securely, we want this cocktail “in” you and your guests, not “on” you. When shaking, shake back and forth between the two bottoms of the cups to give it the best chance of marrying the ingredients. Do this for about 30 seconds. Don’t be shy, give it all you’ve got!

Step 5

Get your martini glass ready. Tap the two conjoined metal cups gently on the edge of your bar (or anywhere else) to break the vacuum seal you created. Take your hawthorn strainer, place it over the cup and carefully pour everything into your glass.

Step 6

Enjoy! Another technique you might want to try out would be putting it through a netted strainer on it’s way into the glass, this will give it a whole new mouthfeel. Also, feel free to swap out the base liquor. I made one recently with a heavily peated Scotch and it was great. Another option is to use different citrus: kumquats, maybe? Most importantly, have fun and experiment. The worst case scenario is that you’ll have to make another drink.

May your cocktail adventures be glorious!

Sidecar photo: foodspotting.com

Classic Cocktails: The Manhattan

by Michael Frank

   Hi, my name is Michael and I'm one of the wine and liquor folks here at Hi-Time Wine Cellars. I've been in the inebriation business for a while now and over the years I've had the opportunity to build more cocktails than I care to remember. Working in the liquor department, one of the common questions I get is how to build classic cocktails. Over the coming weeks and months, or until I run out of recipes, I'll be writing these short articles. My aim is to give you an overview of how to make some of those old bar favorites as well as a short history, context and some variations.

   First on my list is the Manhattan. This is one of my personal favorites and a staple of American mixology; it's a booze-driven concoction that's aromatic, complex and has the opportunity for huge depth of character. First appearing somewhere in the early 1860s to early 1900s, the most common history is that it originated as a signature drink at the Manhattan Club in 1874 for a party hosted by Winston Churchill's mom. This probably isn’t accurate because there is little evidence to show this gathering ever took place. Also, she was in Europe giving birth at the time. Other accounts range from it being invented by some guy named Black on Broadway to a wild southerner trying to make a group of Italian guys mad by dumping whiskey in their vermouth.

   No matter how it came about, it's a bonafide classic cocktail and it's here to stay. The original approach calls for American rye whiskey, Italian vermouth, aromatic bitters and sugar stirred on ice and strained into a coupe glass. In 1920, rye whiskey became scarce due to prohibition so bartenders started using any whiskey they could get their hands on. Then at some point in the the mid-1900s maraschino cherries and orange peels got added to the mix.

   For my recipe I keep it easy and relatively traditional. You will need the following:

For bar tools...

Jigger

Stirring Glass

Bar Spoon

Ice tray

Hawthorn strainer

Peeler

Coupe glass

For consumables...

WildTurkey Rye 101

VervinoVermouth #4

Angostura Bitters

Maraschino Cherries

Beautiful Orange

Cubed Ice

Step 1

   Take your mixing glass and add your bitters to the bottom of the the glass. About three or four dashes will do. The idea is to coat the base of the glass before we start building in everything else.
   I use Angostura because it's my favorite and one of the most recognizable flavor profiles as far as bitters go. If you're feeling adventurous you might want to try out some Angostura orange bitters.

   You'll notice that I'm not using any sugar for my recipe. This is my personal preference as a bartender. I started building them this way when I was bartending in Vietnam because I had a hard time acquiring consistent quality sugar for our bar. Ultimately the consensus of my patrons was that they prefered it without and I've been building them like this ever since.

Step 2

   Take your jigger and add 1 oz. of Sweet vermouth to the mixing glass.

   Without vermouth, all you have is whiskey with some stuff in it. If your whiskey was a singer the vermouth would be the band. Good on their own, but really only shines when accompanied by a great band. That's why I choose to use Vervino Vermouth #4 for my recipe. Huge summertime East Coast botanicals and a touch of natural honey. This vermouth producer is one of my little bartending tricks, it will really bring any cocktail to a new level.

   Traditionally and in this recipe sweet vermouth is used. If you like things a bit more dry you can always substitute in a dry vermouth to turn your drink into a Dry Manhattan. I'd recommend Vervino Vermouth #5.

Step 3

   Take your jigger and add 2 oz. of rye whiskey to the mixing glass.

   You now have a star-studded band warming up. Now, all you need is the lead singer. Whiskey is going to be that lead singer. For this recipe I use Wild Turkey Rye 101. Some may question my choice of rye, with the amount of newer whiskies in the market, but this is one of the best darn rye whiskeys out there and I'm going to stand by it.

   If you don't like rye whiskey or you're just looking to experiment, you could try some Rock Hill Farms bourbon, or maybe some Corsair Mosaic. If you really want to be wild put some Camus XO cognac in there. Although, it wouldn't really be a true Manhattan at that point, it would still be a valid variation of one. Experiment and have fun.

Step 4

   Top off the mixing glass with ice.

   When putting the ice in, make sure you do it delicately so you don't splash. This is one of those times that a bar spoon comes in really handy. Use it to guide the ice in. Take it slow at this step. I know you're excited, we're almost there, I promise.

   The real key here is to make sure your ice cubes are big enough so you don't have too much surface contact with the booze, thus making a watery cocktail. I really like these cool rubber ice trays we sell. they're just the right size and the rubber makes them really easy to use.

Step 5

   Take your bar spoon and stir everything in a gentle continuous motion for about 40 seconds.

   Whatever you do don't shake it. It will bruise the drink, make it watery and also add a weird frothiness to it. Be careful not to overstir, as it will render similar poor results.

Step 6

   Place your hawthorne strainer over the top of the mixing glass. hold it in place with your index finger and gently pour the contents into a coupe glass. You don't want any ice to escape at this point.

Step 7

   Place a maraschino cherry at the bottom of the coupe glass using your bar spoon to gently guide it into place.

Step 8

   Take that beautiful orange, the orange peeler and peel off a good slice of skin directly over the cocktail. Rim the glass with the peel and then gently place it in the center of the glass.

   You'll want hover about one inch over the drink when you do the peeling. The oils from the orange skin are just as important as any other ingredient so handle this step with care.

Step 9

   Enjoy!

   That's it, you're done. I hope you enjoy my recipe or whatever version of it you end up making. When building cocktails, always keep in mind that however you like it is the right way to make it. The only bad drink is the one you don't like. Whatever you do, don't ever let some mixologist snob tell you something is wrong. Want to add some Gran Marnier to your Manhattan? Go for it, have fun, explore and discover.

   If you do discover any fun variations, I'd love to hear them. Or if you have any questions I'm always happy to help. Feel free to call me or better yet stop in the store to say hello. I'm here Friday through Tuesday, afternoons and evening.

   May your cocktail adventures be glorious!