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Home > Recipes > Whiskey > Bourbon

Bourbon Sidecar

Bourbon lovers rejoice. This bourbon sidecar is a variation of the classic brandy cocktail featuring orange liqueur and lemon juice. It’s simple, elegant and really highlights the flavor of the whiskey.
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A martini with a bourbon cocktail garnished with a lemon twist.
Table of Contents
  • Everything you need to make a bourbon sidecar
    • Equipment
    • Ingredients & substitutions
  • How to make a bourbon sidecar
  • Everything you need to know about the sidecar cocktail
  • Love this bourbon sidecar? Here are more whiskey drink to try
  • More classic cocktails you'll love
  • Bourbon Sidecar

Everything you need to make a bourbon sidecar

**This post contains affiliate links. I may earn commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. I will never recommend a product I don’t use or trust.**

Equipment

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Cocktail Shaker

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Martini glasses

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Easy Measure Jigger

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Ingredients & substitutions

This is a very traditional cocktail. Other than swapping the brandy for bourbon, which I’ve already done, I don’t recommend making changes to this recipe.

  • Bourbon – Use your favorite good quality bourbon here. It’s the main component of the drink and better quality bourbon will make a huge different.
  • Cointreau – You can use other orange liqueurs, such as Grand Marnier or dry curaçao, but I wouldn’t recommend a sweeter triple sec.
  • Lemon juice – Fresh squeezed and strained will give you the clearest cocktail.
A sidecar cocktail in a martini glass.

How to make a bourbon sidecar

Shake the cocktail. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the bourbon, Cointreau and lemon juice. Cover and shake until your drink is nice and cold, around 30 seconds.

Garnish and serve. Strain the cocktail into a chilled martini or coupe glass. Express a lemon twist over the top and add it to the glass as garnish.

Overhead photo of a whiskey cocktail in a martini glass garnished with a lemon twist.

Everything you need to know about the sidecar cocktail

What alcohol is used in a sidecar?

We have used bourbon for this variation of the classic sidecar cocktail. Traditionally the sidecar is made with brandy, or more specifically a Congac.

What does a sidecar taste like?

The liquor is the most prominent of flavors, followed by sour citrus with a hint of sweetness.

A bourbon sidecar in a martini glass garnished with a twist.

Love this bourbon sidecar? Here are more whiskey drink to try

  • Bourbon pear cocktail
  • Fig jam whiskey cocktail
  • Hibiscus pineapple bourbon cocktail
  • Southern comfort cocktail
  • Bourbon slush

More classic cocktails you’ll love

  • Brandy manhattan
  • Clover club cocktail
  • Aperol sour
  • French gimlet
A martini glass garnished with a lemon twist, with a bottle of bourbon and cointreau in the background.

Bourbon Sidecar

By: Melissa Belanger
Bourbon lovers rejoice. This bourbon sidecar is a variation of the classic brandy cocktail featuring orange liqueur and lemon juice. It’s simple, elegant and really highlights the flavor of the whiskey.
Prep Time: 2 minutes mins
1
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Ingredients 

  • 2 ounces bourbon
  • 1 ounce Cointreau
  • 3/4 ounce lemon juice
  • For garnish: lemon twist

Instructions 

  • Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add ingredients and shake until cold.
  • Strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
Last step!Share a picture on Instagram and tag me at @anothercocktailblog!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 224kcal (11%), Carbohydrates: 8g (3%), Protein: 0.1g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 1mg, Potassium: 23mg (1%), Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 7g (8%), Vitamin A: 1IU, Vitamin C: 8mg (10%), Calcium: 1mg, Iron: 0.04mg

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2 responses

  1. Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned – Simply Whisked
    October 29, 2024

    […] classic cocktail recipes. Hemingway daiquiri / Pimm’s cup / Bourbon sidecar / Penicillin cocktail / Clover Club […]

    Reply
  2. 14+ Bourbon Cocktails – worththewhisk2.com
    November 20, 2024

    […] 8. Bourbon Sidecar […]

    Reply

Hi! I’m Melissa.

I’m so happy you’re here!

I’m a food blogger, photographer and cocktail enthusiast – and a mom of 2. I started Another Cocktail Blog to share the fun of mixing cocktails at home, so grab some ice and stay for a while.

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