Drink of the Week - Sidecar

The drink of the week this week is a real classic - The Sidecar:

• 1 1/2 oz cognac
• 3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 oz Cointreau

The proportions are perfect - 2 to 1 to 1. And then you rim the glasses with superfine "bar" sugar by rubbing the rims with rind of the freshly squeezed lemon and carefully rolling the glass in a nice big mound of the sugar. A simply delectible combustible - very drinkable and right up there with the martini as members of the cocktail royalty.

A nice variation on the Sidecar theme is to add a splash of Pernod to it. While the "official" recipe I've seen for this concoction, called a Nicky Finn, whittles down the proportions to a 1 to 1 to 1, I like to just make a classic Sidecar and add the licorice-like, absinthe cousin, kick to it that Pernod gives it.