Embury's Basic Drinks: Sidecar

The Sidecar is another classic cocktail with a real classic base: Brandy. Like all origin stories there are many variations but it's clear that the Sidecar began in Paris during WWI and may have begun like this: It was named after a captain who was driven to a bar in Paris always in a motorcycle sidecar. So one day, the captain was sick and wanted a drink before dinner so the bartender knew Brandy combats colds to warm you up and added lemon juice for Vitamin C and Cointreau for flavor. So when people tell you not to drink when you're sick, that's bull and you should order a Sidecar. And, according to Embury, the Sidecar is very similar to a Daquiri in build with brandy as the base instead of rum. But here's the recipe for this cocktail:

Ingredients
1 1/2oz. Brandy or Congac
1 oz. Cointreau or Triple Sec
1 oz. Lime or Lemon Juice
Lemon wedge or twist
optional: granulated sugar

Directions
If you want, you can wet the rim of the cocktail glass and dip in sugar. Then, pour the three liquids into a shaker with ice in any order. Shake until the shaker is nice and chilled and strain the liquors into a cocktail glass. Add the lemon wedge or twist and enjoy this Brandy based drink.