Sidecar

The wife and I were Netflix-mining old episodes of the culinary TV show Good Eats.  If you haven't watched it, it's an atypical cooking show as the host, Alton Brown, tends to go very in depth into the history, engineering principles, and chemical make-ups of each dish that he features.  In any event, we watched an episode involving two classic cocktails: the Sidecar and the Margarita (the latter of which we've already covered in my favorite version).  

As one popular legend goes, the Sidecar was invented in a Paris bar that was a favorite hot spot of American ex-patriots.  The gentleman that helped the Parisian bartender create the concoction tended to travel to Harry's New York Bar on a motorcycle with the namesake attached.  There are other competing origin stories, but I like this one.  
It's simple.  
It's direct.  
And it's French American...

THE SIDECAR

1.5    oz       Brandy 
1       oz       Cointreau (or Triple Sec)

1/2    oz       Lemon Juice - fresh is best

Add all 3 ingredients to a martini shaker 1/2 full of ice
Shake vigorously
Pour into a cocktail (martini) glass
Garnish with orange wheel and lemon twist

There you have it.  A classic cocktail.  I must admit that I don't ever recall having tried one of these prior to mixing one up for this post.  It's quite good.  A little on the sour side, but if that floats your boat...  It's the best answer I've come up with yet for the question "What are we going to do with all this brandy?"