Deauville

One step. A Sidecar is all grape brandy, sweetened only by the orange liqueur. Handing half the base to apple brandy adds a drier, woodier fruit that pushes back against that sugar, so the drink finishes further from candy and closer to a dry cider.

Leave it bare. The Sidecar's sugar rim exists to soften a lean, sharp drink, and here the apple brandy already brings orchard sweetness of its own. A crust on the glass makes the first sip syrupy before the lemon has said anything.

Look at the lemon first. Fifteen milliliters against 60 of combined brandy is a modest amount of acid, so if it reads as harsh, the juice was probably squeezed hours ago and oxidized. Taste it on its own before it goes anywhere near the shaker.

Then you've made a slightly odd Sidecar, since the apple half is the entire reason this has its own name. If you're short, applejack in both slots works better than cognac in both. Apple can carry the whole base; grape alone flattens it.

A classic Deauville calls for 30 ml (1 oz) Cognac, 30 ml (1 oz) Apple brandy, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Triple sec / Cointreau, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Fresh lemon juice. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Deauville is roughly 34% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

A Deauville is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.