Bourbon Sidecar

The Bourbon Sidecar is bright and classy, a variation on the classic sour cocktail that swaps brandy for bourbon. Citrus forward with a spicy whisky finish!

Love sour cocktails but want to change up your whiskey sour? Try this Bourbon Sidecar! The Sidecar is one of the most classic sour cocktails. Change the brandy to bourbon, and you’ve got a whole new drink! This one trades the fruitiness of brandy for the spicy sweet finish of bourbon whiskey. Here at A Couple Cooks we are whiskey sour fans, but we love changing up our bourbon cocktails with the Sidecar. It’s even more refreshing and citrus-forward than its cousin drink. Here’s how to make it!

What’s in a bourbon Sidecar?

The Bourbon Sidecar is a variation on the classic Sidecar, one of the great sour cocktails. It was invented in the 1920s, and the name likely came from an American army captain who drove around in a motorcycle sidecar. The Sidecar is on the list of International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails, meaning that there’s an “official” definition of the drink. Swap out the brandy and you’ve got the bourbon version! Here are the ingredients for a bourbon Sidecar:

• Bourbon whiskey
• Cointreau
• Lemon juice

How to make a bourbon Sidecar (basic steps)

The bourbon sidecar is very easy to make. It’s even easier than a classic because it skips the sugar rim! It makes a sweet tart drink that’s one of our top bourbon drinks. Here are the basic steps:

1. Shake in a cocktail shaker. Shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice cubes.
2. Strain into a glass and add ice. Strain the drink into a cocktail glass. Serve with a lemon twist or peel if you’d like! (Here’s how to make a twist.)

Triple sec vs Cointreau

Triple Sec is often the orange liqueur used in a sidecar. But we recommend using Cointreau! Cointreau has a orange perfume flavor that’s well balanced between bitter and sweet, while Triple Sec can be more harsh.

What’s Cointreau used in? So many great cocktails! Grab a bottle and you can make a long list of Cointreau drinks: the Classic Margarita (and our best Margarita Recipes), Cosmopolitan, Mimosa, and more.

Or, make it a Between the Sheets

Add rum to the bourbon sidecar and it becomes a classic cocktail called Between the Sheets! A spin on the classic Sidecar, it features rum and Cognac together: something that in Prohibition times was thought to be a little naughty. The rum adds nuance to this citrusy drink.

The Between the Sheets a classic cocktail that makes it onto the International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails. So this variation is a classic in itself!

Related drinks to the bourbon Sidecar

Turns out there are lots of drinks that are variations on a theme! The formula of citrus, liquor and sweetener extends further from this bourbon drink to a few of these favorites:

• The Sidecar is a classic cocktail that features brandy, lemon and Cointreau and a sugar rim.
• The Vodka Sidecar is citrusy and zingy, staring vodka, lemon and Cointreau.
• A White Lady is basically a gin Sidecar, featuring gin, lemon and Cointreau.
• The Margarita is essentially a tequila Sidecar with lime instead of lemon.
• The Whiskey Sour is another classic bourbon cocktail starring bourbon whiskey, lemon and simple syrup in place of the orange liqueur.

When to serve a bourbon Sidecar

The bourbon sidecar is a classy and refreshing cocktail that works anytime and any season! It’s perfect for sipping as a:

• Summer patio drink
• Happy hour drink
• Dinner party drink
• Late night drinks drink
• Guys or girls night drink
• Cocktail hour drink

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More sour cocktails

Sour cocktails are a family of cocktails with base liquor, sour, and sweet elements. There are all sorts of variations on a good “sour”. Here are some of our favorites:

• Classic Mojito Here’s a classic mojito recipe, perfectly balanced with lime, rum and fresh mint!
• Classic Daiquiri The Classic Daiquiri is made with rum, lime juice, and sweetener. Or try a sophisticated spin, the Hemingway Daiquiri.
• Tom Collins Cocktail A Tom Collins is also known as a gin sour: is light and bubbly with soda water.
• Southside Cocktail An easy and refreshing gin drink made with mint, lemon and lime: think of it like a gin mojito!
• Gin Fizz Cocktail The classic Gin Fizz is sweet, tangy, and has a frothy egg white foam topping.