The Sidecar was best known to me as the favorite cocktail of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Oddly enough, the Wikipedia article on the Sidecar does not mention her, but it does mention the drinks appearance in The Princess Diaries, Auntie Mame, and Bonfire of the Vanities. Maybe my memory is a bit off on that one.
The origin of the Sidecar is not clear, but it seems to have first showed up in England or France around the time of World War I. What also is not clear, is exactly how to make a Sidecar. The ingredients are pretty consistent across recipes: brandy or cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice. However, the ratio of these ingredients ranges from 4 parts brandy to 1 part Cointreau and 1 part lemon juice all the way to equal portions of each.
We went to the milder end of this range and used equal parts of brandy, Cointreau, and lemon juice. And once again, we ended up with a great drink. Slightly sweet, from the Cointreau and very sour, from the lemon juice with strong undertones of brandy flavor. It hits you with tartness and then the other flavors develop on your tongue. Another keeper, and I don't think we will even try the other ratios. This one is perfect.
A theme seems to be developing here. Good cocktails have a depth and complexity of flavors. The taste you get when they first hit your tongue is usually something sharp, to get your attention, and then it melts away and the other flavors develop over a few seconds. You ponder those flavors, and then try it again to see if you perceive the same sensations the second time. It is not what I expected when we started this experiment, but it makes sense and helps to show why people like cocktails.
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