The "Liz Lemon"

My cocktail of choice has always been The Sidecar, a classic cocktail traditionally made with eight parts Brandy or Cognac, two parts Cointreau and one part lemon juice.



I was out with some friends and ordered up a round of my go to drink, the bartender was brought out and in my broken Italian I explained how to make a Sidecar. Per my request it was decided that The Sidecar would be put on the menu as "The Liz Lemon" (a 30Rock reference).

The Sidecar originated post World War I at The Ritz in Paris, you can order them made with The Ritz's 1860's Signature Reserve Cognac, however, it will run you upwards of 1250 euros a glass.
According to an article on travelstart.com
"What sets the Ritz Sidecar apart from other Sidecars is that its cognac comes from grapes harvested prior to a devastating grapevine infestation that occurred in the 1860s. It is said that wine and cognac produced before the destruction were better than anything produced since."

With the product on the decline and no possibility of making more, the price of this drink will continue to rise so you could consider it an investment piece. Unfortunately, this is not within my budget for next week's trip to Paris, I guess I will have to stick to the Trieste version "Liz Lemon" and maybe splurge on a slightly less expensive version at The Ritz's Hemingway Bar.