Brandy Is Dandy - Discover Our Fall Favorite Classic Cocktails

Fall is here, and it's time to cozy up with a drink! We're reaching for a Sidecar, the classic combination of sugar, lemon, Triple Sec, & brandy. The Prohibition-era Sidecar belongs on the Daisy branch of the Sour cocktail family. A Daisy is a sour-style cocktail modified with a liqueur, often an orange liqueur (like the Margarita) and sometimes topped with soda.

The ancestor of the Sidecar predates the sour-style cocktail. In the 1850s, Joseph Santini, who ran the Jewel of the South, created the Crusta in New Orleans. The Crusta contained the addition of a bit of citrus juice, which was not a common cocktail ingredient until the 1890s. Remember, the "cocktail" at this time was spirit, sugar, water, and bitters. Jerry Thomas published Santini's recipe for the Crusta in his book, The Bon Vivant's Companion or How To Mix Drinks. The most prevalent version was the Brandy Crusta.

The construction of the Brandy Crusta is much closer to a "cocktail" than a sour or daisy. It includes Cognac, Maraschino liqueur, Curacao, bitters, and a bit of lemon juice. The garnish for the Brandy Crusta is also more extravagant than that of the Sidecar. The glass should have a nice "crust" of sugar around the vessel (traditionally a wine glass) and contain the garnish of the peel of a whole lemon!

From Cocktail to Crustas, from sours to daises, a good brandy cocktail is an excellent choice for indecisive customers. Introduce them to the bountiful garnish of the Crusta or the symphony of flavors in the Sidecar.

Here's how to make a Sidecar:

Use citrus (lemon or orange) to rim the coupe glass.

Dip in sugar.

In shaker add:

3/4 oz Lemon Juice

3/4 oz Triple Sec

1 1/2 oz Brandy

Shake with ice for approximately 15 seconds.

Double strain into a sugar-rimmed coupe.

Enjoy!