My usual starting point is usually pretty close to your (roughly) 3:1:1, and I adjust from there, depending on the drink. In the case at hand, the Sidecar, I get pretty well away from that rule of thumb, more like 4:2:1. I don’t know why those proportions work better here, except that perhaps brandy doesn’t like lemon quite as much as some other spirits.

Doug, my favorite “Sour/New Orlenans ratio” is 2 oz. 3/4 oz. 3/4 oz. It helps me memorize the recipes and it’s easy to pour in my jigger. On the other hand Chris McMillian calls for 1-1/2 oz. 3/4 oz. 1 oz. Simple Syrup (even 2-1-1). There’s also the potato head formula 1-1/2, 3/4, 1/4. I see you like to cut off the amount of sugar, so what would be your personal ratio? Thank you so much,
Ramos

Yes, that is a New Orleans Sour. We owe the term to Gary Regan, who first wrote about the category in his Joy of Mixology. It’s a very useful classification.

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Hi, Donough, I’m glad you chimed in four years later; it’s always fun to revisit these conversations.

The Sidecar is one of my favorite exercises in balance; in fact, it could be an excellent teaching tool for people new to mixing, to learn how much slight differences in proportions (or products) can affect cocktails. And with the Sidecar, when it’s right, it’s gorgeous.

I was unaware of the changes in Cointreau over the years, so that’s educational. And its curious that some prefer Grand Marnier to Cointreau in their Sidecars; I don’t think GM contains more sugar than Cointreau, but its lushness seems to convey a sense of added sweetness in comparison.

And so the sugared rim, in addition to being ornamental, provides a way for the bartender to satisfy the customer either way, more or less sweet at the drinker’s discretion.

Thanks for adding this for consideration, and for reading Cold Glass.

“Curaçao triple sec liqueur traditionally contains fewer than 350 grams of sugar per liter. An earlier version of Cointreau’s famous product was Curacao triple sec liqueur. That was before it followed Cusenier into extra-dry territory.”

I admit that I love the sugared rim, largely because of the way it looks (at least when it’s done well). But I only use the sugared rim if I can prepare it in advance and let it dry. I certainly agree that sticky cocktail glasses are not at all desirable!

My preference is an unsugared rim. I don’t mind sugaring it for others, if that’s what they like, but I don’t pursue the extra sweetness. Besides, I’m sort of lazy, and happy any time I can cut a picky step out of a recipe.

And of course, there’s the problem of sticky cocktail glasses. The only way I know to avoid that is to sugar the rims ahead of time, so they can dry out, leaving only the dry sugar crust.

So, Matty, where do you stand on sugared rims?

Thanks for the kind words, Chris. I was just pondering what might be a good cocktail for a sweltering summer day, and now I’m thinking it’s just about time for Sidecar.

I’d not been aware of the Higgins version until now, but I look forward to trying it.

Well done Mr. Ford on the site, beautiful photography, writing, and of course, great drinks!