Last night's dogbite: Chelsea Sidecar
Drinkage, Gin, Triple Sec July 17th, 2007
Ahhhhhh, the sidecar; conjuring images of old Indian, Triumph, and BSA motorcycles and vintage scooters tooling about the countryside in a carefree and breezy manner, a lass at the side, and a bottle of your best hooch in the boot. Ok, perhaps that's laying it on a bit thick, but the Sidecar, a wonderful Brandy (or Cognac) drink that is a precursor and close cousin to the ubiquitous Margarita, is precisely that; fresh, warming, and a little on the naughty side.
The Sidecar received middling to good reviews when I served it at my cocktail tastings a couple of months ago (and I was particularly pleased) so when I saw a variation in Difford's Quarterly (Spring '07) called the 'Chelsea Sidecar' that - and of course this is what caught my eye – included gin (!) I was anxious to try it. Now whether or not Difford's prescribing Plymouth Gin exclusively in all cocktails requiring gin (and Ketel One for all Vodkas, Partida for all Tequilas, etc.) is a matter of taste, contracted promotion, or ease I'm not sure, however, I do believe it affected this drink in ways that will soon become clear.
Chelsea Sidecar1
- 1 1/2 oz Plymouth gin
- 1 oz Cointreau
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 oz simple syrup (2:1)
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
This drink's ass is flatter than your mama's, alright? I don't know why Jimmy's smiling over there but it sure isn't from the pleasure he's taking in this drink. It hits you with a tart shiny fit of lemon and sits…and sits…doing nothing and going nowhere, like the date you got up the nerve to finally ask out and then 30 minutes into the date realize just how much you wish you hadn't. I think two things went wrong here; the Plymouth Gin isn't what I think should be used as for me a more piney and traditional gin such as Tanqueray or Beefeater would be better, also, the second thing; I didn't just go ahead and make a damned Sidecar instead. This is a drink that were I working it over would go back to the drawing board and rework the proportions; too much lemon, the Cointreau is a side act (and when using a full freaking ounce of Cointreau, I get a tad resentful that it's allowed to be a slacker in the drink), and there's just something basically amiss about the whole ordeal. If you want a tart gin drink, there are better choices; if you want a complex drink featuring lemon, there are better choices; if you want a drink, period, there are better choices. Hop onto you scooter and look elsewhere, friends, there's nothing to see here. Sadly.
Chelsea Sidecar Rating: 
As an aside and for a bit of insight into my drink-testing and posting process, I generally just find a drink that intrigues me, whip it up, and give it a shot before doing any research online or in other blogs. And sometimes, this leads me to find out it's been covered before and, often, in better style. Such is the case here where my blog-pal Jay at Oh Gosh! did a post back in May on the Chelsea Sidecar and classic Sidecar alike. But, his post doesn't have a pretty lady on it, so there. So, hats off to you Jay, and fortunately I can say that we pretty much agree on this one, which is reassuring for me after the fact; I admit.
- from Difford's Guide Quarterly (Spring '07) [↩]
I think you will find, Gabriel, every single page on my site features not one, but four ladies. Four ladies bathing in giant Martinis at that!
Spot on with the Chealsea Sidecar though. It’s funny, a few years back I loved it, but now it just tastes so bland. If nothing else it reminds me how much my tastes have changed since then.
Oh and yeah, Difford’s guides are indeed “supported” by various companies, which is why certain spirits always use a named brand. I do miss those quarterly guides, I think it’s a shame they were replaced with the digital difford site.
Haha, fair enough Jay, I did miss the four ladies up top there. Seems like I end up linking to a post or two of yours in every new post these days; which just goes to show how we’re progressing along similar journeys imo.
Yeah, the Quarterly guides are awfully sharp and informative, I’ll miss them as well.
I love a good Sidecar – actually I like searching for good cognac-orange liqueur combinations – and I have to say that I do not find a gin-based Sidecar very appetizing. It sounds like it would be a bit flat, that is, not as complex as when made with a proper cognac.
One of these days I want to try a Sidecar using a complex, aged rum as the base… But that makes sense for me.
I’ve found Plymouth problematic too. It seems to get lost in most gin cocktails, and without the gin flavor, nothing else fits together.
Let me throw some loose change I have in the mix …
Is Diffords sure that recipe isn’t for a White lady and not the Chelsea Sidecar? I’ve seen that one before and I thought it used triple sec (Chelsea Sidecar)…
On the drink you made, I agree and don’t think Plymouth was an appropriate gin for this cocktail. I personally wouldn’t use Plymouth for anything other than a Tom Collins or Gin & Tonic. I think it gets lost if you add more than one modifier to it. Tanqueray might have been a better choice, and I would have upped it to 2 oz and used 1/2 of that simple syrup. Actually I’m a real big fan of Gin + lemon juice + cointreau. Give that a shot before you pass …
Bah, Sidecar variations. Why tinker with perfection? (Although I’m curious to try one with aged rum.)
I pretty much have to agree Darryl, the Sidecar does just fine on its own.
And AGB, I haven’t completely given up on a drink using those base ingredients (as I love them all dearly); this one was just such a surprising miss.
Tinkering is fine but this classic doesn’t need a complete reconstruction. Try this tinker:
2 1/2 oz. of Brandy (some form of VSOP adds a little more body; cognac is a bit heavy)
1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon of Cointreau (not Triple Sec)
1/2 tablespoon of Limoncello (if you have it lying around)
Shake with ice. Before draining to a frosted, sugar rimmed martini glass, add a splash of lemon-lime soda (like Sierra Mist) in the shaker but don’t shake! I found that raw sugar crystals work well. The amber tones give the rim a classy look and matches the drinks color as well. Add a lemon peel for garnish and there you have it. Almost traditional – just a bit of tinkering.