Southside Cocktail

The Southside was invented way back in the early 1900's. It's actually named after the South Side district of Chicago. Popular with Al Capone and his gang, the story goes that the gin they drank was not as smooth as the North Side gin. So, they had to add sugar, juice and other flavors to make it more drinkable.

No matter how it was invented, it's a tasty drink, especially for gin lovers!

If you like the Southside, try out the Gimlet Cocktail, a similar classic drink but without the mint. The Last Word cocktail is inspired by these two classics as well, but has a much more herbal profile with the addition of Green Chartreuse liqueur.

Or, the Eastside cocktail is another really similar drink, adding in some cucumber to make it even more refreshing!

Ingredients

With only four ingredients, this one is simple to make. Just keep in mind that since there are so few ingredients, quality is really important here. Here's what you'll need:

• Gin - this is traditionally going to be a London Dry style of gin, but you can use whatever you like best! I used The Botanist gin.
• Lime juice - preferably fresh squeezed.
• Simple syrup - you can use store bought, or use my recipe to make your own syrup.
• Mint - fresh mint leaves are best, because using dried mint changes the flavor.

Variations

There are a bunch of ways to take this recipe and run with it! Here are a few variations to try:

• Southside Fizz cocktail - use the same recipe, but serve it over ice in a highball glass and top with seltzer water.
• Southside Smash - muddle a blackberry in the bottom of your cocktail shaker, and then follow the rest of the recipe. This would also be great served over ice in an old fashioned glass.
• Rum Southside - switch out the gin for rum, and you've got a Rum Southside. This is really similar to a Mojito, but served up (without ice).

Equipment

To make this cocktail, you'll just need a few cocktail basics. Make sure you have a jigger, a cocktail shaker and strainer, and a serving glass.

For the serving glass, try to use a stemmed serving glass, since we are serving the drink without ice. A Nick and Nora, martini glass or a small coupe glass all work great.

You'll also want to have a knife and cutting board handy to cut the lime, as well as a citrus juicer.

Instructions

To start out making this drink, you'll want to cut and juice a fresh lime. Add the juice to your cocktail shaker.

Next, add in the simple syrup and gin. Then, pick about a handful of nice fresh mint leaves, and clap them between your hands a few times.

Note: Don't over-mash the mint leaves, or you will get some bitter flavors coming into the drink.

Then, add ice to your cocktail shaker, and shake the drink well, about 15-20 good shakes. Grab your serving glass and use the cocktail strainer to strain the drink into the glass.

Add a large mint sprig to garnish, serve, and enjoy!

Hint: If you prefer, you can garnish with a lime wheel, although mint is the classic garnish. You could also cut a large piece of the lime peel and squeeze the lime oils over top of it at the end to give it more of a lime aroma.

Top tip

In my opinion, this drink is best prepared and served when super fresh! But if you prefer a less tangy, more mellow lime flavor, you can make a batch ahead of time and let it rest in the fridge for a few hours.