An almost-finished bottle of Courvoisier, a neglected half a lemon in the fridge and a little googling led to this week’s Lockdown Libation and I couldn’t be happier.
I love a Sidecar — it’s included in Pucker for a reason. And, really, it’s the reason I have a bottle of cognac to begin with. So, I was sorely tempted to just make one and call it a day. But that sort of defeats one of the main objectives of this project — to expand my cocktail horizons — and if I relent on that goal only six short weeks in, then I’m in a world of trouble once we get to week 20.
In looking for interesting cognac recipes, though, almost every single one required some bottle of liquor I, shockingly, don’t already own. Yes, sure, I’d love to make a Sazerac (no absinthe) or the intriguingly named Between the Sheets (fun fact: that was the title of my masters thesis exploring the role of sex columnists in contemporary Canadian media), or even my old standby the Champs-Elysees (no green chartreuse).
And then I came across this recipe for a drink that combines two old favourites: the French 75 and a Sidecar.
A traditional French 75 takes lemon, cognac, Brut champagne and a little simple syrup to create a bubbly and bright lemon drink. The Sidecar, with its cognac, lemon and orange liqueur, is a little more balanced though, obviously, non-bubbly. Combining the two seemed so smart I wondered why I’d never heard of such a thing before.
Given my healthy supply of Brut sparkling wine — owing to a subscription I had for two years with Fitz Wine, which I loved — and the fact I actually had all the things needed, this was a no-brainer of a decision.
This will most definitely be going into the regular rotation….
A note: the original recipe calls for orange bitters, which I don’t have. But I have Lemon Marrakech ones and I figure amping the tartness wouldn’t be a terrible idea, all things considered.
Sidecar 75
- 1 1/2 ounces cognac
- 3/4 ounce Cointreau — or another orange liqueur
- 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- dash orange or lemon bitters
- 1 ounce sparkling wine
To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the cognac, Cointreau, lemon juice and bitters. Shake vigorously for 15 to 30 seconds, until the vessel is cold to the touch.
Strain the drink into a champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine. (I skipped any garnish — a lemon twist would be oh-so elegant — because that lemon really had been neglected and wouldn’t have given me any usable peel.)
