The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess

Some folks often give me a little grief for using a high-end product like Cointreau (~$35 a bottle), and then using a “cheap” (~$20 a bottle) brandy. Frankly, I find that it works quite well. The brandy I use here can’t hold a candle to a higher end brandy when sipped straight, but I find that it works really well in the Sidecar. It has also become popular these days to use “Metaxa” in a sidecar (it would then be called a “Metaxa Sidecar"). Metaxa technically isn’t a brandy, but a “flavored” brandy, since there are additional flavorings that go into it.

I really enjoyed your presentation thank you. I’ve been bartending and running a bar business for eleven years now. When I make a sidecar I like to cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice directly into the shaker and then also drop the lemon into the shaker as well. Then I proceed to shake the cocktail. I really enjoy having the flavor and consistency of the lemon pulp in the cocktail. 
I hade some customers last night insist on having sour mix in their sidecars, I think it completely ruined the cocktail.

Erin

I’ve had people tell me that my Margarita recipe can’t be right since it doesn’t use sour mix… sigh…

For me, using sour mix in a cocktail is like using instant rice to make your paella. But I guess some folks don’t realize what a difference real ingredients can make to a drink.

-Robert

Would it be too foward of me to ask whose recipe was used in the pocket guide?

I tried this tonight with some Cognac I had not been using (as I usually drink Whisky). I must say this drink is simply amazing. I’ll definitely be ordering this when I go to the bar next time. Hopefully they’re version is as balanced as yours.

Rani,
Often, this drink is served more on the sour side then my recipe presents. And “lesser” bars will often use sour mix instead of fresh lemon juice. But give it a try and see what you end up discovering!

-Robert

I ordered this at a bar last night to see how it differed from your recipe. I wasn’t able to catch what their measurements where exactly although thankfully they used fresh lemons. To be honest I was a little distracted from the measurements as they rimmed half the glass with lime and sugar and placed ice cubes in the glass itself (which strikes me as unorthodox). Still the drink itself tasted along the same lines as the Sidecar you made here.

I also ended up having a Mojito and Manhattan both of which where made very well. They had an interesting method for my Mojito whereby they clapped their hands together with the mint in the palm of one of their hands before putting it in the glass.

In regards to the Manhattan I was offered the choice between two bitters (Angostura and Peychaud’s) which was welcome.

It was a very welcome experiment and was definitely an enjoyable change from drinking Whisky all night. I’m very thankful that I came across this site.

Robert,

Are there any French Cognac VSOP Brandies that you would absolutely not recommend using in a cocktail?  The reason I ask is that I have seen prices between $20-$50.  Since, I won’t be sipping these, it don’t want to overspend for a blending brandy.

I am sure that there are some brandies/cognacs which are below the bar when used in cocktails, but the real choice is up to you. I’d start out with a “cheap” brand, and then when that starts to run out, buy something better, and do a taste comparison between the two when used in cocktails, and figure out for yourself if the cost is worth the difference.