The sidecar, simple? You've fallen into the classic trap.

This timeless cocktail relies on three simple ingredients: brandy, orange liqueur and lemon juice. That simplicity obscures a more confusing reality. By slightly shifting the three, you can emerge with more than a half-dozen notably different drinks. Cocktail books are all over the map. Under the sidecar rubric can be found the crazy tart, fiercely boozy or marginally potable.