This Classy Cognac Cocktail is the Perfect Winter Warmer

This recipe is part of our premium cocktail recipe series:

So by now, hopefully, you’ve tracked down at least one of our recommended premium spirits and had the chance to craft a truly incredible quaff. From here on out, this series is going to blaze ahead of our premium spirits list and feature incredible hand-selected distillates from around the world, and imaginative mixes you can use them in.

This week’s premium spirit comes from one of the oldest and most respected names in brandy, Remy Martin. The Maison’s signature product XO Cognac Fine Champagne is an opulent and fruity brandy and is the featured ingredient of this week’s recipe: the classic, rich and warming Sidecar.

The Sidecar certainly is one of the older cocktails in the pantheon. Although several variants of this cocktail were popularised by the institutions of the old world, the Sidecar was officially first codified by the 1919 edition of the cocktail recipe book the “ABC of Mixing Cocktails”, written by the proprietor of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. The richness, luxurious texture and simple ingredients of the Sidecar have maintained its status as a staple classic cocktail, even at a century old, in bars the world over.

This rendition of the Sidecar centres the complex and fruit-forward Remy Martin XO Cognac which lays a hearty foundation for the cocktail. In place of the traditional triple sec, this recipe utilises Grand Marnier, a fellow cognac distillate with a lingering aftertaste and opulent texture.

Finally, with a good measure of lemon juice to balance the richness of these heavy hitters you’ve got a supremely balanced and luxurious beverage that will impress your friends, win over your enemies and keep you toasty all night long!
The Legendary Word: An Intense, Aromatic and Balanced Cocktail

The Extra XO Sidecar: Luxurious, Rich and Delightfully Warming

Ingredients

60 mL Remy Martin XO Cognac
30 mL Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
30 mL lemon juice
Dehydrated orange or orange peel to garnish

Method

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice
Shake for around 15 seconds
Double strain into a chilled coupe glass
Garnish with a dehydrated orange slice, or twisted orange peel
Optional: For a truly classic look, rim the glass with white sugar before straining

Working on your bar skills? Check out our Premium Cocktail Series for more recipes.

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