Bourbon Sidecar

You should treat this side cocktail as the main event.

The Sidecar has graced us with its presence for more than a century now. It’s considered to be a variation on the classic New Orleans cocktail, the Brandy Crusta, but also feels like a cousin to the Whiskey Sour. With tart lemon juice, orange liqueur, and a sweet spirit, it’s certainly easy to see how the Sidecar has stood the test of time.

The original Sidecar appeared around World War I and had solidified its name in print by 1922 with Harry MacElhone’s “Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails” and Robert Vermeire’s “Cocktails and How to Mix Them.” Although both books listed the same recipe, neither could really answer for the drink’s origin. A few bars across the world claim to have invented the Sidecar when serving it to a customer who showed up in the sidecar of a motorcycle, but that story is a bit hard to corroborate. Murky origin aside, the traditional Sidecar enticed drinkers with its mix of cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice, with some even throwing in a sugared rim for an extra dash of sweetness.

Through the decades, the Sidecar held firm with its cognac base, only ever yielding for similar substitutes like brandy or Armagnac (a specific type of French brandy). However, none of those options are super common in the modern bar or on the modern bar cart. That leaves only one option in our minds – swap the cognac for bourbon. The Bourbon Sidecar retains the same sweet and sour flavors combinations of the original, with just a higher proof point. The glow up makes the Bourbon Sidecar an accessible drink that’s easy to whip up or order in a pinch.

The modern day change into the Bourbon Sidecar has given the classic Sidecar a fresh new life and kept it from being sidelined in the cocktail world.