Sidecar

Chill a martini glass.

Mix the following in a shaker with ice:
4 parts Cognac (Hennessey V.S.O.P is a good choice)
2 parts Cointreau
1 part lemon juice (fresh-squeezed lemons are ideal)
Pinch of sugar

Use a leftover piece of the lemon to wet the rim of the martini glass. Dip the wet part of the rim in sugar. Pour in the drink from the shaker.

In a pinch, any brandy can replace the Cognac, Triple-Sec can replace the Cointreau, and lime juice or sour mix can replace the fresh lemon juice. But remember, the quality of the drink depends on the quality of the ingredients.

The Sidecar was originally invented at a bar in Paris for one of the patrons who was fond of arriving driven in a motorcycle sidecar. David A. Embury (The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, 1948) credits the invention to an American Army captain during World War I "and named after the motorcycle sidecar in which the good captain was driven to and from the little bistro where the drink was born and christened." According to Embury, the original Sidecar had several more ingredients, which were refined away. A Sidecar according to Embury, a connoisseur of cocktails rather than a bartender, is simply a Daiquiri with brandy as its base rather than rum, and with Cointreau as the sweetening agent rather than sugar syrup. He recommends the same proportions (8:2:1) for both, making a much less sweet Sidecar. [Wikipedia: Sidecar Cocktail]

Goran writes: "Would you kindly answer my question on Sidecars?
I wonder about the word "Boston" in "Boston Sidecar".
Does it mean the drink is shaken in a Boston shaker or is there anything more about "Boston" in this connection? If so: what?

Hi Goran, a Boston Sidecar adds in light rum, and also replaces the lemon juice with lime juice. I can only guess why it's called Boston - perhaps that's where this variation was first served?