South Side
Gin, mint, lemon, crisp.
Gin, lemon, sugar and fresh mint shaken and served straight up: essentially a mint-scented gin sour. Clean and refreshing, it can be made silkier with a few drops of egg white.
- IBA · New Era
- Aperitif
- Shaken
- Glass
- Cocktail glass
- Method
- Shaken
- Strength
- Medium
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Ice
- No ice
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Gin
60 ml
-
Lemon juice
30 ml
-
Simple syrup
15 ml
-
Mint
6 leaves
-
Egg white (optional)
to taste
Garnish
- Mint sprig
Proportions
How to make
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- Pour the gin into the shaker.
- Add the lemon juice.
- Add the simple syrup.
- Add the mint leaves.
- If you like, add a few drops of egg white.
- Shake well with ice (hard if using egg white).
- Double-strain into the chilled glass.
- Garnish with a mint sprig.
The story
Origins
LegendA story passed down, not confirmed by the sources.
The origins of the South Side are disputed. One tradition ties it to Long Island's Southside Sportsmen's Club, a hunting and fishing retreat for wealthy New Yorkers, where it supposedly evolved from the Mint Julep. New York's 21 Club, a Prohibition speakeasy, claims it as a house specialty, while another legend links it to Chicago's South Side gangs, who allegedly used mint and sugar to mask bootleg gin. Written sources rule out a Prohibition birth, however: a Gordon's gin advertisement dated 1913, cited by David Wondrich, features a Gordon's South Side, and Hugo Ensslin printed a fizzy version in his Recipes for Mixed Drinks.
Sources (4)
Taste profile
- Fresh
- 5 out of 5
- Herbal
- 4 out of 5
- Citrus
- 3 out of 5
- Strong
- 3 out of 5
- Sour
- 3 out of 5