The Sidecar cocktail combines cognac, orange liqueur and lemon juice.
A standard Sidecar uses cognac, typically an orange liqueur such as triple sec or Cointreau, and fresh lemon juice. The ingredients are shaken with ice and strained, often into a cocktail glass with an optional sugar rim.
The cocktail became known in the early twentieth century, but its exact origin is disputed. London’s Buck’s Club and Paris’s Harry’s New York Bar are among the places associated with its development or early popularization.
The Sidecar is part of the broader family of three-part cocktails built from a spirit, a sweet orange element and citrus. Its proportions vary between sources, so recipes can taste noticeably drier or sweeter while retaining the same defining structure.