023 – Sidecar

A Sydney ‘lock-down’ version of the World War One ‘Sidecar’ cocktail.

Sydney’s Covid Lockdown has inspired me to explore this famous cocktail. Let’s take a look at the classic 1918 ‘Sidecar’ Cocktail.

Make your own Locktail, the WWI classic ‘Sidecar’. Here is my Sydney Lock-Tail recipe:

METHOD — Add 50ml Cognac, 20ml Cointreau, and 20ml fresh Lemon juice into a cocktail shaker with a hand-full of ice. Shake until cold (10-15 seconds) and double strain into a chilled Martini or Cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange slice, and orange zest oil on top (optional).

HISTORICAL NOTES – The ‘Motorbike Sidecar’ was most likely invented by French Army Officer Jean Bertoux in 1893 as a submission to a French newspaper competition. It became popular in the early 1900’s in the years before the First World War (1915–1918) manufactured by a host of European and then American motorcycle manufacturers. In World War One, they were commonly used, including to carry heavy equipment such as machine guns (which weighed over 30kg).

Between the Wars, they remained popular, and were also heavily used in World War Two by both the Axis and Allied forces. After the 1950’s, with the rise in cheaper car availability, the sidecar went into decline becoming increasingly less common.

The drink itself, is a variant of an earlier Cocktail, the ‘Brandy Crusta’, invented in the 1850’s by Joseph Santini, an Italian in New Orleans and first published in Jerry Thomas’s 1862 ‘Bar-tenders Guide’. The Brandy Crusta was a popular and well known Cocktail in the early 1900’s and during World War One. It was predominantly Brandy, Maraschino, Orange Curacao and Lemon Juice.

The only agreed part of the ‘Sidecar’s’ origin story, is that it appeared either during or at the end of World War One, sometime around 1918, effectively swapping Maraschino and Curacao for Cointreau, and making the whole drink a little simpler and direct.

The Ritz Hotel in Paris claims the ‘Sidecar’. In 1922, other writer’s gave credit to Pat MacGarry, a celebrated bartender at the Buck’s Club, in London, although one of those writers Harry MacElhone later attributes the cocktail to himself. Whoever invented the ‘Sidecar’ Cocktail innovation, it was popular in both Paris and London, and later the USA. Not surprising given the mobility of troops at that point in global history. Even though Harry MacElhone was unlikely to be the creator, his ‘Harry’s’ bar in Paris certainly played a large role in the Cocktail’s popularity.

The original version was ‘Brandy’ heavy, however in between the Wars, a ‘French School’ appeared with mixes that were closer to equal weighting. During Prohibition (1920–1933) in the United States, the Cocktail had its own wave of popularity due to the illicit availability of imported French ingredients, and some commentators mistakenly believe the Cocktail had its origins in US Prohibition. Later progression trended toward replacing Brandy with more upmarket Cognac, with the Cocktail surviving for over 100-years. It is less common in the modern era, mostly as a result of a shift away from Brandy/Cognac based cocktails, as well as the range of other creations that these early cocktails have spawned.

The term ‘Sidecar’ is also sometimes used to describe the ‘left over’ ingredients from a mix. If the amounts are incorrect or otherwise over-sized, and mix is left in the shaker or mixing glass after pouring, this residual is sometimes referred to as a ‘Sidecar’.

THE OFFICIAL MIX – The ‘Sidecar’ is included among the 33-cocktails in the International Bartender Association (IBA) ‘The Unforgettables’ list, here. The recipe is largely as per the first option provided above.

TASTING NOTES – This is a powerhouse cocktail. The sour lemon juice, strong orange from the Cointreau combine with the strength of Cognac to let you know you are having an alcoholic drink. The flavours work well together when cold, but do not allow the cocktail to warm too much, as the pungency of the lemon, orange and fumes from the Cognac start to clash. For fans of Cognac, this is a celebration of the spirit, so pick you favorite Cognac taste.

LOCKTAIL CHANGES – I have stayed very close to both the original and the IBA recipe with this ‘Lock-tail’. The change is in the choice of Cognac, but use whatever you have at hand, any Cognac is perfectly fine for this Cocktail. I have chosen Martell VSOP for three reasons. Firstly it has a darker colour from it’s aging in ‘red barrels’, that I feel suits the visual aspect of this cocktail well. Secondly it is renown for its caramel, coffee and spiced notes, which I feel complement the Cointreau in the mix.

Finally, it was the favourite Cognac of my Father, and as close to Father’s Day as it is, I felt like a little celebration. Although he wasn’t around in 1918, he was born in 1939 at the start of the Second World War, and both the cocktail ‘sidecar’, and the motorcycle ‘sidecar’ were still features of that era. In fact the ‘Swallow Sidecar Company’ founded in 1922 went on to eventually become the Jaguar car company, based in Coventry, England – the birthplace of my Father and by far his favorite car.

YOUR LOCKTAIL EXPERIENCE – If you’d rather taste than read, I am progressively building an ingredient list and other sourcing information on this site. I will re-use ingredients where I can (good for my budget too), so that the cost goes down overtime if you are ‘playing at home’.

Let me know what you think.

Cocktails you’d like reinvented.

Recipes you’ve tried and your ‘score’.

This is the third of the 1911-1920 bracket of ‘Locktail’ remixes. See the full list in the index.