The Cable Car cocktail is a variation of the classic Sidecar cocktail. But while the Sidecar dates back to World War I, the Cable Car is a recent creation, as far as drinks go, and was created in 1996 by Tony Abou-Ganim as a signature cocktail for the Starlight Room, a cocktail lounge in San Francisco’s Sir Francis Drake Hotel.
The Sidecar uses cognac as its base spirit, while the Cable Car opts for spiced rum, namely, Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum. The Sidecar also calls for Cointreau, and the Cable Car calls for orange Curacao. I’ve crafted this drink with both orange liqueurs, and was pleased with the results of each, but in general I stick with Tony’s original recipe.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
3/4 ounce orange Curacao
1 1/2 ounces fresh lemon sour (to create lemon sour, mix two parts fresh lemon juice with one part simple syrup)
Directions:
Shake all ingredients with ice, and strain into a cinnamon sugar rimmed cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange spiral.
