THE CLASSIC SIDECAR
2 oz       brandy
1/2 oz    triple sec
1 oz       lemon

This is a very flexible formula. Each variable shifts the drink, but only subtlely, unlike, say the Aviation where if you shift very much you lose the drink. As for the brandy, well I once made a Sidecar for a friend with an expensive and velvety cognac. She demured, "quite nice" but would I mind making the 2nd with her traditional favorite, Metaxa 7 Star. Obviously anything that ends in 'brandy' can be slipped in here. The Clear Creek 8 year and the Laird Straight Apple Brandy make for a welcome relief from time to time. But if you want to make the most sublime cocktail every, then you need a very elegant VSOP cognac such as Bache Gabrielsen. If you want to learn how to make a drink AND about cognac at the same time, do a side by side with their regular VSOP and their Natur & Eleganse. The latter is the VSOP roughly but without the additives found in EVERY cognac, principally caramel. This is allowed by law for color stabilization. Well, the fact is it imparts a very subtle taste and feel. This Natur & Eleganse is ever so more ethereal and cleaner. Either is stunning.

A final note regarding my friend's comment: Metaxa is not technically a brandy, it is a liqueur. So if go that route you end up with a very different drink. Much bigger. Metaxa has a lot going on above the brandy base. But whatever you do, remember that the cognac/brandy is the drink. If you skimp you end up with a harsh drink. In fact if you want the defnition of a bad drink, use an American brandy and regular lemons. OUCH!

As for the triple sec, I have no quarrel. Like the original Cointreau, its rep is well earned. However, if you want to tone down the sweetness you might consider the drier Combier Triple Sec. And for a completely trippy experience, use Mandarine Napoleon. This drink is nearly bullet proof above a certain level, so mostly it is about how high a thread count you want as you get 4 sheets to the wind.

Finally the lemon. there is only one lemon suited for drinks - Meyer's. Availability is tricky. As a citrus it is available in our off season. Our meaning North America. Its season begins in January and runs into early summer - just when we are getting geared up for outdoor drinks it's gone. So buy like crazy, juice and freeze. Or use the frozen concentrate put out by Perfect Puree. They also do a number of other fruits that are quite indispensable. their Prickly Pear comes to mind. But I digress. . . . Meyer's or forget it.

At this point you might skip to the Jerusalem in the next section of the download. Basically a Sidecar with gin. Prickles it up a bit.