The Bourbon Sidecar takes the classic cocktail to new heights by replacing cognac with bourbon. The result is a tasty tipple with a potent kick.
The classic Sidecar recipe is both simple and sophisticated with just three ingredients – cognac, orange liqueur and fresh lemon juice. While some mixologists use brandy or Armagnac instead of cognac, we decided to craft ours with Kentucky bourbon.
We’re not the first to craft a Sidecar cocktail with bourbon and we certainly won’t be the last. Nor will the first Bourbon Sidecar be our last Bourbon Sidecar. The tasty tipple has earned a permanent spot on our at home cocktail rotation.
History of the Sidecar
Depending on what you read and choose to believe, the Sidecar cocktail was either invented in London or Paris. We choose to believe that it invented in Paris at Harry’s Bar which, if true, makes the Sidecar a French cocktail.
We can at least be certain that the Sidecar was invented in the early 1920s soon after Prohibition ended and that it was named after a motorcycle sidecar. Or was it?
Ingredients
The Bourbon Sidecar fits into our lazy mixology playbook with an incredibly short list of ingredients that includes:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
How to Craft a Bourbon Sidecar Cocktail
We didn’t realize how easy it is to craft a Bourbon Sidecar until we crafted one at home. Not only is the ingredient list short, but no special tools or gadgets are required. The only required tools for this recipe are a jigger, cocktail strainer and Boston shaker. We already have all three in our home bar. Hooray!
We like to coat the rim of our martini glass with sugar when we craft Bourbon Sidecars at home. This extra step adds a sweetness to the sour cocktail that we prefer.
If you’ve never created a sugared rim before, rest assured that it’s easy. You just need to rub the glass rim with a lemon wedge before dipping the glass onto a plate topped with sugar. You’ll want to rotate the glass a few times until it’s properly coated.
If you’ve chosen to sugar your glass rim, set the glass aside. It’s now time to craft the cocktail.
The first step in our Bourbon Sidecar recipe is to measure the bourbon, orange liqueur and lemon juice. We do this with a jigger but you could use a mini angled measuring cup instead.
Buy a Japanese jigger from Amazon if you need a jigger or want an inexpensive upgrade. That’s what we did.
As you measure each liquid, pour it directly into your cocktail shaker. We use a Boston shaker which has literally changed our mixology life for the better. It’s as easy to use as it is to clean and it doesn’t leak. Hooray again!
The second step is to add ice to the shaker and vigorously shake the drink until it’s both chilled and combined. After about 30 seconds, use a strainer to strain the liquid into a cocktail glass. We use a small martini glass for this cocktail though a coupe glass would work equally well.
Buy two Riedel martini glasses from Amazon.
The final step is to garnish your cocktail with a lemon twist.
Pro Tip
Peel the lemon skin before you squeeze juice from the lemon.
Variations
After you follow our Bourbon Sidecar recipe, you may be satisfied to drink this version forever. However, if you’re keen to experiment, we recommend starting with the following options:
Discover 10 essential bar tools for the home mixologist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bourbon, Orange Liqueur, Lemon Juice and Ice Cubes
You should use your favorite bourbon in this cocktail recipe. We typically use Four Roses but any bourbon will work just fine.
The Bourbon Sidecar is shaken, not stirred.
We like to serve this cocktail in a small martini glass but you could use a coupe glass instead.
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Combine bourbon, Cointreau and lemon juice in a shaker.
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Add several ice cubes and vigorously shake are chilled and mixed.
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Strain into a martini glass. (Coat rim with sugar in advance if you choose to add the optional ingredient.)
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Add a lemon twist as garnish.
- We like to use a martini glass for this recipe but a coupe glass would work too.
- As an option, you can coat the glass rim with sugar to cut the drink’s tartness.
