The Sidecar

Words and photo by Clarke Condé

This story originally appeared in The Albuquerque Courier

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This drink gets its name from the motorcycle sidecar but seems to have outlived the popularity of its namesake. And why not? The cocktail sidecar is delicious and the motorcycle sidecar is just plain silly. Plus, in a motorcycle sidecar you are just a passenger, which only really looks good on Iggy Pop. On the other hand, if into the cocktail sidecar you are ready to get the weekend started.

The cocktail sidecar I’m recommending for this weekend is made with Grand Marnier. A more traditional sidecar is made with cognac and orange liqueur, but Grand Marnier is an orange liqueur made with cognac, so save yourself the trouble and don’t get too hung up on the fact this is a two-ingredient cocktail.

2 Oz. Grand Marnier
1 Oz. fresh lemon juice
Orange twist for the garnish
Sugar for the rim
Ice

This is an incredibly simple yet elegant cocktail that makes good use of a cocktail shaker. Everything goes in and is then strained out into a glass. In this case, I recommend a coupe glass just to get fancy and add a sugar rim to impress. Add an orange twist just because and there you have it. So let's ride and ride and ride and ride.