Thanksgiving Vacation Cocktails - Round Two

As promised, for round two of Thanksgiving Week Vacation Cocktails we are going old school. First appearing in cocktail recipe books in the 1920s, the Sidecar most likely was first mixed and enjoyed a tad earlier, somewhere in the World War 1 era. With over one hundred years under its belt and spawning countless variants in its wake, you would be correct in declaring the Sidecar a classic vintage cocktail. But in a twist reminiscent of Darth proclaiming his paternal bond to Luke in the bowels of Bespin's Cloud City, there is another. Hailing from New Orleans and making its first appearance in the mid-1850s, the Brandy Crusta is considered by many to be the inspiration and father of the Sidecar.

Unlike the King of Barbados where the drink recipes were identical save the rum used in each, the Sidecar and Brandy Crusta do differ by a significant degree, but the foundation remains quite similar - Cognac, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. 

Let's start with the Sidecar, a drink whose proportions are identical to a basic Daisy or Daiquiri - two ounces spirit, one ounce sweetener, three-quarters of an ounce of bitter:

The Sidecar
Ingredients

• 2 ounces Cognac or brandy
• 1 ounce Cointreau
• 0.75 ounces fresh lemon juice

Composition

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well, strain and serve.

The Brandy Crusta has a bit more going on and it should be noted that the recipe below is a modern interpretation of the original. By the mid-1900s, the Brandy Crusta had fallen out of fashion and all but disappeared from the cocktail scene just as the Sidecar's popularity really began to surge. Fast forward to the early 2000s and New Orleans bartender Chris Hannah resurrected the classic with subtle tweaks to accommodate modern preferences. 

Brandy Crusta

Ingredients

• 1.75 ounces Cognac or brandy
• 0.5 ounces orange Curacao (dry)
• 0.25 ounces Luxardo liqueur
• 0.75 ounces fresh lemon juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Composition

The Brandy Crusta was named for the sugar-crusted rim of the glass in which it is served, it's only fitting that the namesake tradition be honored. Meanwhile, place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake well, strain and serve.

Father Crusta on the left, son Car on the right

Results

Out of the gate, let me say that both cocktails are entirely deserving of their stellar reputations. Each is wholly delicious and worthy of the effort required. The wine-soaked oak of the Cognac is perfectly complimented by the yin and yang of the sweet orange and bitter lemon. The Brandy Crusta builds upon this flawless foundation and the addition of Luxardo maraschino liqueur and Angostura bitters raise the drink without cluttering it. I realize it is a cop-out to say both are delicious and refuse to pick a side, but that is precisely where my better half and I fell in regard to these two libations. True, the Brandy Crusta has a bit more going on flavor wise but labeling it as 'better' felt like a bridge too far for us. We are going to call this comparison a draw - make one of each, sit back, sip, and contemplate life for a bit.