Vodka Sidecar
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 25.5% ABV ∙
The Vodka Sidecar is a shaken sour built on vodka, orange liqueur, and fresh lemon, a vodka-based riff on the brandy-based Sidecar, served up with a salted rim. Bright and tart with a silky citrus edge, the salted rim adds a savory crunch that softens the finish into something clean and lingering.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Rim the glass with salt
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Vodka 45 mlTriple sec 20 mlLemon juice 15 mlSugar syrup 5 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a lemon twist
Tips
- Rim only half the glass with salt so drinkers can choose a sip with or without it.
- Measure the sugar syrup carefully — with vodka's neutral flavor there's no spirit character to buffer an over-sweet pour.
- Fine-strain firmly to keep any ice shards or lemon pulp out, since the drink is served up with nothing to catch them.
History
The Vodka Sidecar has no separately documented creation story of its own; it is a modern riff that simply swaps vodka in for cognac, turning the classic brandy sour into a cleaner, more neutral-spirited variation. The change removes the grape-brandy backbone of the original, letting the orange liqueur and lemon carry more of the flavor.
Its parent, the Sidecar, is generally dated to the years around World War I, with the first printed recipes appearing in 1922 in Robert Vermeire's Cocktails and How to Mix Them and Harry MacElhone's Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails. Its exact birthplace and inventor are disputed among several claimants, tied variously to bars in Paris and London.
FAQ
Can a Sidecar be made with vodka?
Yes, this is a Vodka Sidecar, a variation that swaps the brandy in a classic Sidecar for vodka. Shaking it and fine-straining into a salt-rimmed coupe gives a cleaner, more neutral spirit base than the original brandy version.
What are the ingredients of a Vodka Sidecar?
Vodka, triple sec, fresh lemon juice, and a touch of sugar syrup, shaken with ice and fine-strained into a salt-rimmed coupe glass with a lemon twist.
How do you make a Vodka Sidecar?
Pre-chill a coupe glass and rim it with salt, then shake the vodka, triple sec, lemon juice, and sugar syrup hard with ice. Fine-strain into the chilled glass and garnish with a lemon twist; the fine strain keeps the drink clear since no ice goes into the glass itself.
What is the difference between a Sidecar and a French 75?
A Sidecar is a shaken sour of a base spirit, orange liqueur, and lemon juice, while a French 75 is a gin and lemon mix topped with sparkling wine and served long. The Sidecar is served up in a smaller glass with no fizz, whereas the French 75 is effervescent and built in a taller glass.
What makes a good Vodka Sidecar?
Balance between the tart lemon juice and the orange liqueur's sweetness is what makes a good Vodka Sidecar, with a touch of sugar syrup fine-tuning that edge rather than dominating it. A properly chilled coupe and a careful fine strain keep the texture clean and the citrus bright.
