The Bourbon Sidecar

• The traditional sidecar, which dates back to the 1930s, contains a mixture of two parts brandy to one part each of triple sec and lemon juice. The bourbon variation replaces the brandy with bourbon but keeps the other proportions more or less the same, although as with any cocktail recipes will vary from bartender to bartender. The bourbon sidecar should be served cold and garnished with a strip of lemon peel.

Variations

• Although the bourbon sidecar is itself a variation on the original sidecar, there are a number of variations on the bourbon version of the recipe. In some cases, these may be as simple as name changes. For example, a "Basin Street" is the same cocktail as a sidecar. A common variation is to reduce the proportion of lemon juice, reducing the acidity of the drink. A bourbon sidecar can also be served in a sugar-crusted glass.

Refreshing Drinks

• Mixed drinks containing bourbon and triple sec often include soda or other non-alcoholic mixers to create a cool drink that isn't overpowering. Examples include the ginger mist, which combines equal parts bourbon and triple sec with ginger ale. Similarly, Knob Creek advertises a mixed drink which combines bourbon and ginger ale with a muddled orange slice (an orange slice crushed in the bottom of the glass before pouring). In this case, the amount of triple sec is no more than a splash to add flavor.

Fruit Flavors

• The sidecar combines bourbon and triple sec with lemon juice, and it's far from alone in that regard. Other drinks add citrus or berry flavors to complement the triple sec. For example, a Kentucky lemonade consists mainly of bourbon and lemonade, but a small amount of triple sec -- only one part to three parts of bourbon -- completes the drink. Similarly, the Bardstown sling mixes bourbon, triple sec, cranberry juice and lime juice to create a cocktail with mouth-watering tartness.