Drink In History - The Side Car

The sidecar

THE only DECENT DRINK TO COME OUT OF PROHIBITION?

By Lanee Lee

The Sidecar Cocktail is deemed to have been created in 1921, making this year it’s 100th Anniversary. Remy Martin is toasting the Sidecar’s birthday with a special bundle package on Reserve Bar.

For most cocktail historians, it’s a common belief that the Sidecar was the best cocktail created during the nation’s drinking drought aka Prohibition. During this time from 1920 to 1933, many United States bartenders fled the country to continue their craft overseas. So, it’s no surprise that two international destinations claim the birthplace of the Sidecar—a mix of cognac or brandy, Cointreau, lemon juice and a sugar rim.

The French like to call the Sidecar their own. But so do the English. Here’s the tale of two tales (maybe three or four). You decide which is fact and which is fiction.

The first legend takes place in Paris at Harry’s New York bar (still shaking and stirring up drinks today). Traveling sidecar in a friend’s motorcycle, an American army captain requested something to warm him up before dinner. Cognac—France’s very own brandy distilled from grapes grown in the Cognac Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée and aged in French oak barrels for a minimum of two years—was the bartender’s suggestion.

Well, the captain rebuffed his suggestion. Drinking neat to start off the night? He didn’t think this was socially acceptable.

the Sidecar

Rémy Cointreau is leading the charge in celebrating the centennial of the Sidecar cocktail. As a brand with almost 300 years of history, it’s in Rémy Martin’s DNA to honor moments of cultural excellence from the past that have had an impact on present day. The creation of the Sidecar introduced a refreshing and well-balanced Cognac-based cocktail that truly never went out of style. With Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal and Cointreau in the portfolio, the simple addition of lemon juice brings this classic cocktail to life.

INGREDIENTS

2 oz. Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal ¾ oz. Cointreau ¾ oz. lemon juice

PREPARATION

Shake, strain, and serve in a coupette glass. Finish with lemon peel for freshness. So, like a good bartender does, he or she adeptly adjusted to the customer’s needs and mixed in some Cointreau—also French made—and lemon juice. Voila. The Sidecar was born, and it was très bon.

But not so fast. Frank Meier, another American barkeep working in Paris, argued he created it while working at the Ritz Hotel.

Next, we head north to London’s legendary Buck Club—also still open today. Pat MacGarry, famous for creating the Buck’s Fizz cocktail, says he created it for a customer traveling in a sidecar. Interesting to note even Harry MacElhone (owner of Harry’s New York Bar) says MacGarry concocted the drink in the first edition of his book, Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails (1922). In later editions, MacElhone simply deletes MacGarry and credits himself.

Yet another theory held by current day celebrity bartender Dale DeGroff is that the cocktail came on the scene much earlier and stateside, like mid-1800s in New Orleans. It’s basically a riff on the Brandy Crusta, which was created in the Big Easy by Joseph Santini around 1850. This explains why the Sidecar is so often associated with the French. French Quarter that is.

Another hot topic of debate is the proper proportions of a Sidecar. Is it equal parts as Harry MacElhone wrote? 2:1:1? Or get ready folks—8:2:1 as David Embury pens in The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1948). The late cocktail writer Gaz Regan suggests, in his Joy of Mixology (2003), that a hard fast ratio rule isn’t realistic due to the varying flavor profiles of its base spirit, Cognac.

There’s much to pontificate about the Sidecar except that it’s an excellent example of a New Orleans Sour and pure joy in a glass.

In the Rémy Sidecar recipe, the higher proportion of Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal is used to add an oaky character with subtle toffee and vanilla notes to the cocktail, balanced with Cointreau and lemon juice. Try it out for yourself. And toast to Prohibition. Finally, we have a reason to be grateful for it.