Name: Lady's Sidecar
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Cognac (brandy); 30 ml Triple sec; 30 ml Lemon juice; 7.5 ml Orange juice; 2.5 ml Sugar syrup (2:1)

Lady's Sidecar
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Glass:

Serve in a Coupe glass

Ingredients:
1 ¹⁄₂ fl oz	Cognac (brandy)
1 fl oz	Cointreau L'Unique triple sec liqueur
1 fl oz	Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₄ fl oz	Orange juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₁₂ fl oz	Sugar syrup 'rich' (2 sugar to 1 water, 65.0°Brix) optional

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

How to make:

SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish:

EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

The addition of orange juice and an orange zest twist supposedly gives this otherwise classic Sidecar a feminine twist. Classically, this cocktail does not contain sugar syrup, so it is a touch sourer. Hence, if you have a dry palate, omit the sugar, and if you have a sweet palate, consider increasing the sugar syrup to 5ml (1/6oz).

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History:

Sidecar cocktail history

Nutrition:

One serving of Lady's Sidecar contains 185 calories

Alcohol content:

1.7 standard drinks
19.18% alc./vol. (38.37° proof)
23.7 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Chris Brislawn

13th May 2025 at 03:53

Feeling experimental, I omitted the sugar syrup but upped the orange juice to a full ounce and cut the cognac to 1 oz to manage the volume (but used a woody XO for flavor). This gave equal proportions (1:1:1:1), which even I can remember. Also added a dash each of Angostura Orange and Bitter Truth Lemon Bitters and garnished with an expressed lemon zest. Still on the sour side but very citrusy; I call this variant the Tart's Sidecar.

Sean Baron

8th March 2024 at 22:32

Would the name and the addition of orange not echo Lady Grey tea (which is Earl Grey tea with orange) as opposed to just being deemed feminine?

Calvin Grant

24th February 2024 at 04:26

Very tasty with Spanish brandy and mandarine juice!

Jose Cruz

13th February 2023 at 04:31

do 8ml simple syrup and 10 ml Orange juice for a tad sweeter, amazing drink !

Miguel Perales

20th September 2022 at 20:03

Tried it as written and it was a very nice cocktail. Dry, with a citrus sourness upfront but just enough sweetness present at the end to not be overwhelmingly sour.

Chris Dimal

20th May 2023 at 08:39

Did it as written and your notes are exactly what I tasted. Really nice drink.

John Hinojos

26th March 2022 at 00:35

Left out the sugar syrup and it was nicely dry. It had some sweetness due to our oranges which are really sweet. Nice hint from the cognac and great taste of orange.

Michael Cronin

25th March 2022 at 19:50

Made as written and it’s dry; nice, but dry.

Tuber Magnatum

25th March 2021 at 22:33

Lovely drink. Agree that it benefits from 5ml of 2:1 sugar syrup.

Kjell Eriksson

26th March 2021 at 08:16

Well, I had it again yesterday, remembering the cause for celebration but having forgotten my reaction and reflections from last year. So, I followed the recipe to the letter, or ml, and I quite liked the drink that way this time. Maybe more factors are in play than the drink itself to determine one’s reception.

Kjell Eriksson

25th March 2020 at 17:51

Next time I’ll certainly increase the sugar syrup from 2.5 to 5 or 7.5 – and I’m not sure that I have a sweet palate. And I like the Lady Day celebration!