Liquid Gold
Photo by Andrew Hawley
This brandy-based cocktail is truly deserving of its classic title. It was created during the First World War and later popularized by the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Coco Chanel, and George Gershwin. Although this does mean that legally you need to be at least 75 to order this drink today, its excellent balance of citrus, sweet, and sour tastes is re-popularizing it for modern times.
RECIPE:
1.5 oz (45 ml) cognac
1 oz (30 ml) Cointreau
1 oz (30 ml) lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS:
Squeeze a wedge of orange over the rim of a chilled cocktail glass and dip the moistened rim into a saucer of superfine sugar (optional). Add the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake. Strain into the cocktail glass. Garnish with a wedge of orange. Recipes for the Sidecar are varied, ranging from a drier 8:2:1 mix to a sweeter blend of 3:2:2. Regarding base, the drink is typically made with brandy from France, which is known as cognac. The complexities of making the drink make it pricier than other spirits. Hennessy is a good introductory brand (at $31.05 for 375 ml). As a bonus, its Irish name also makes it sound less pretentious than most cognacs.
WHEN TO DRINK:
Before dinner and at Great Gatsby parties.
