Pomegranate Tequila Sidecar Cocktail Recipe

Looking forward to fall and dreaming up a new easy cocktail to toast good things to come. This Pomegranate Tequila Sidecar made with three simple ingredients is almost too delicious…..almost.

What Is A Sidecar Cocktail?

The origins of the classic Sidecar recipe are a little hard to nail down.

It’s an old fashioned drink and many point in the direction of Paris just after the end of World War I. Whoever shook up this stellar combination was on to something because it has become one of the world’s great cocktails.

Essentially a Sidecar drink has three ingredients in equal amount:

• Cognac (or brandy)
• Orange liqueur (Cointreau, Orange Curacao, Grand Marnier)
• Lemon juice

A Sidecar Recipe With Tequila

The reason I love a Sidecar so much is that it reminds me of my absolute favorite cocktail: The Margarita.

The two are so similar—swap out the Cognac for Tequila and the lemon juice for lime—that it seems only natural a Tequila Sidecar would be equally good and dare I say, make the best Sidecar Cocktail?

For this Tequila Sidecar recipe however, I took a few more liberties because I’ve teamed up with Stirrings and used their Pomegranate Martini Mix to create a seriously good drink!

The mix has a sweet-tart blend of Pomegranate juice and lemon juice and is lightly sweetened with cane sugar so all you need to add is the tequila and Cognac!

Stirrings makes so many incredible mixers and craft cocktail ingredients it’s almost too hard to choose.

From Peach Bellini Mix to Organic Margarita Mix, simple syrup to even a line of liqueurs, including their own triple sec, they have everything you need to make a stellar sipper.

Making a Sidecar from a bottled mix has never been easier or more delicious!

Best Tequila For A Sidecar

When making a margarita I like to use a bright, agave-forward blanco tequila but because this drink has the sweeter, warm flavors of Cognac, I decided an aged Añejo tequila would be best.

To become añejo tequila it has to be aged for a minimum of 1 year in oak barrels. Typically Anejo tequila is sipped straight up like a good scotch so you can enjoy all its subtleties.

I rarely mix it in a cocktail, but because there are so few ingredients in this drink, I think the tequila shines beautifully here.

How To Make Orange Twists and Zests

To make a cocktail for yourself is one of life’s great pleasures and isn’t something that should be rushed.

It is important to make the drink all the way through to the end, which should always include a garnish.

A classic Sidecar usually comes with a sugared rim which you can certainly try here. And actually Stirrings makes a Pomegranate Sugar Rimmer that would be extraordinary.

I wanted to lean more into those cozy flavors of fall so I decided to go with a twist of orange wrapped around a cinnamon stick which can be used to stir the drink and give it a hint of spice.

Making citrus zests and twists is very easy and does more for your drink than just look good. When you bend and twist the peel it expresses the oil (aka flavor) into the cocktail and up into the air, perfuming the drink as you sip.

To make that perfect pig tail corkscrew you’ll need a channel knife. I like the ones that also have the holes for making thin strips of zest as well—two tools in one!

Just run the channel knife around the orange then twist the strip of peel around the handle of a bar spoon or tie it around a few pieces of the looser Cassia cinnamon sold in most Latin markets like I did or the more common Ceylon cinnamon sticks sold in most grocery stores.

More Fall Cocktails To Love

Every season has a reason to celebrate and autumn is no different.

While we may not be gathering together in the typical ways this fall there’s still plenty of reasons to raise your cocktail glass. Here are some of our favorite fall drinks.

• Spiced Fig Tequila Sour
• Apple Lime Margarita
• The Chimayo Cocktail

Salúd To Stirrings!

If you make this easy Tequila Sidecar recipe with the ruby red flavors of Stirrings Pomegranate Martini Mix, I’d love to see it! Snap a photo and tag me on Instagram using @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno. ¡Salúd!

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