The Joy of Cocktails

I have been working on perfecting my recipe for a Sidecar this week, but I am not quite there yet. The Sidecar is an old classic that contains Brandy, Cointreau, and lemon juice. I have tried a few recipes but everything has been a bit harsh. It needs to be smoothed out a bit and I'm thinking of trying Cognac, upgrading to Grand Marnier, adjusting the proportions a bit, and perhaps adding a touch of simple syrup.

The reason I mention this before I have finalized the research is to draw attention to a great new cocktail resource I've been using: The Joy of Cooking. The Lovely S has long used The Joy as her go-to resource for basic recipes, but I just picked up an old edition the other day and checked out the cocktail section. It has a number of excellent classics and a lot of historic information as well. You have to find an older version because the newer ones have cut out or cut down the cocktail section. Look for an edition from the 70's. S's is the 1975 edition.