Bridge the Summer-Fall Cocktail Gap with the Sidecar

September 8, 2011

We may still be wearing white pants, but we're also running low on gin after a long summer and looking forward to the fall. Thus, our thoughts take on an amber hue as we contemplate our next cocktail. At times like this we typically enjoy an MB. But lately we're thinking a lot about the Sidecar.

According to our official cocktail color changing guide, it's actually a little early in the year for Sidecars. So why the rush? A friend recently introduced us to Germain-Robin Craft Method Brandy, and now we're looking for an excuse to buy a few bottles ourselves.

If you're using cognac, we suggest a VSOP (very superior old pale). In our recipe we'll be staying stateside with the Germain-Robin, which is produced in California. The Sidecar is sometimes called a "brandy margarita," which may explain why many establishments will serve this up in a sugar-rimmed martini glass. But we like them best in a rocks glass, just as we'd use for an MB.

2 parts Germain-Robin Craft Method brandy
1 part Cointreau
1 part fresh lemon juice

Lightly shake with ice, then pour into a ice-filled rocks glass. Based on your tastes, brandy choice, and strength of the lemon juice, you should adjust the Cointreau and lemon juice to find proper balance.

EARLIER: The MB Cocktail Color Changing Guide