It's pleasant. I subbed Clement VSOP for the Matusalem. I think it lacks a bit of oomph in the midpalate, and nothing really stands in the forefront. Perhaps a rinse of Fernet Branca to punch up the bitter?

Added suggestion for apple brandy / calvados and combined duplicate recipes.

Yum! I agree with the previous comment... this is a smooth, delicious drink that doesn't not seem "strong" in its flavor despite the amount of high-proof alcohol included. I made a double in a Collins glass and while it was a little short for the glass, it saved me the inevitable task of making another!

Originally posted by bschneier. Of several variations, this one has been adopted as the reference side car and is included in the Goodies > Quickstart Cocktails > Classic Cocktails.

Also there's Joaquin Simo's version :

2.0 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac

.75 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao

.75 oz lemon juice

1 barspoon 2:1 Demerara sugar syrup (how much is a "barspoon" anyway?)

I made Difford's super-easy "Grand Sidecar" a couple weeks ago and was instantly a big fan! Replaces the cognac and Cointreau with just GrandMa since it's already a blend of cognac and orange liqueur.

https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/892/grand-sidecar

2 oz Grand Marnier

1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

That's it! Shake, strain, up, orange peel garnish, enjoy! Try one, it's so good! 

Oh, and death to sugar-rimmed glasses!

As written, this drink is really dry - 3 oz of 80+ proof spirit and some lemon juice. You need the sugar rim to hope to have any sense of balance. Thanks,  Zachary

Made 2:1:1 with Torres brandy and PF Dry Curacao. I'm not a person who needs sweetness in drinks, but I think with the dry curacao a small splash of simple would be a good addition or make it according to the recipe above with slightly more orange liqueur.

Excellent with a few drops of absinthe to garnish.

Curated with poster's permission/approval to include the missing orange juice and some history. This is rather a difficult drink to list because the original is undrinkable by today's standards and there seems to be no consensus about how that should be remedied.

BTW, you made it before we corrected the recipe to include orange juice. I still think your absinthe garnish sounds nice. Anise and maple sounds unusual -- in a good way.

I had been adding a dash or two of absinthe to this (PDT) version of the recipe:

2oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4oz Lemon Juice
3/4oz Orange Juice
1/2oz Grade B Maple Syrup

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/10/applejack-rabbit-classic-app…

I tried this both as written and with bourbon (because, uh, I goofed). Both are interesting. I also tried the absinthe garnish, but I think it overwhelmed it because I used too much (more of a float). I think if I actually had a dropper bottle, I might have liked it more. It is a very mild-mannered cocktail -- a good choice for someone looking for something relaxing and easy-to-drink. It's also a good introduction to apple brandy.

Ding, ding, ding -- we have a winner. Given that the original is awful and there are a zillion modern versions, I'm happy to accept the PDT as a modern standard, and it sounds good to me.

very well balanced

Use up that Applejack!!

Very nice. We went with others and bumped the lemon and grenadine to 3/4. Definitely in the rotation.

Technically this is a Floridita Daiquiri #3.  Hemmingway took his with no simple syrup and double the rum, hence the name Papa Doble.  

I have adopted this recipe as an official Quickstart Cocktail.

Try adding 1 oz of Mango Puree and a splash of Ginger Liqueur or muddle with a little fresh ginger for a delicious twist.

I use the same rum:lime juice:simple syrup ratio as a daiquiri (2oz:1oz:1/2oz) and (lightly) muddle about eight mint leaves. I use 1 to 1.5 ounces of club soda -- don't want to water it down too much.

Muddle 3-4 ripe raspberries along with standard ingredients for a nice summertime variation.

This version was originally posed by bschneier. It has been adopted as a Quickstart Classic Cocktail.

According to The Gentleman's Companion vol. 2 by Charles H. Baker Jr. (1939)
"Doctors still thought that a lot of yellow jacket malaria cases came from drinking water and swamp mists. The couldn't turn off the swamp water mists but they knew that diluted alcohol was a disinfectant agent against germs. So they put a little rum in their boiled drinking water. This tasted pretty bad so some bright citizen squeezed a lime into the thing, and added a little sugar to modify the acid. Ice made from distilled water took the topical heat off the thing. The 2 originators were my friends Harry E. Stout, now domiciled in Englewood, NJ and a mining engineer associate Mr. Jennings Cox. Time: Summer of 1898. Place: Daiquiri, a village near Santiago and the Bacardi plant, Cuba. Hence the name "Daiquiri."

Morgenthaler says the best recipe (which he got from Diffords) is: 2 1/2 oz aged rum, 3/4 oz fresh lime juice, 1/2 oz simple syrup

I've tried many variations on quantities and either aged, light or dark rum. It really just falls into what your personal preferences are. I like the aged and light rum variations with same ratios but at 2oz, 3/4oz and 1/2 oz. Another example is that Robert Hess calls for this ratio but inverts the simple syrup to 3/4oz and lime to 1/2oz. Whether Difford's is the best recipe, again, is a matter of taste. Cheers.

I have been loving this lately as 2 oz Probitas, 1 oz 1:1 cold process simple, 3/4 lime, which is basically Sasha Petraske spec. Thanks,  Zachary

Zachary. You mean 1 oz lime to 3/4 oz simple, right? Because that's the Petraske spec and the same they use at Attaboy etc today. 

Yeah, sorry - I don't have my book and had it flipped in my head. Thanks,  Zachary