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Southside Cocktail Recipe
Southside Cocktail Recipe

Southside

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Cocktail History

The Southside is a classic cocktail that is believed to have been created in the 1800s and named for Southside Sportsmen’s Club in Long Island, New York. According to historians, the bar was a popular spot for rich men who traveled to the island from the city to hunt, fish, and drink, and it’s believed that minty cocktails, including this one made with dry gin, citrus, simple syrup, and mint, were the most popular ones at the time.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Gin: This is a type of gin made with juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol that has been infused with flavor through redistillation without artificial ingredients or colors. We used Broker’s Premium London Dry Gin because it’s versatile and high proof. For a mocktail version of this drink, try MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin.

Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. We used freshly squeezed lime juice.

Simple Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white sugar and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.

Mint Leaves: This is an herb. We used fresh Mojito mint.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2024-10-14.

Tasting Notes

The Southside features a refreshing herbal aroma and the taste of citrus from the initial sip all the way through the swallow followed by the lingering coolness of mint.

Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Not sure which recipe is getting bumped, but this one is definitely in our Top 10 Favorite Cocktails now! Although similar to the Mojito and Gimlet, the Southside calls for a slightly stronger London Dry Gin that helps the cool flavors come forward, as opposed to how the rum in a Mojito makes more of an individual flavor impact. Our mouths are watering just thinking about it again, so at least Kendall will be having a couple of these tonight.

Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“The first time I ever tasted this recipe, it became an instant favorite, and I went on to drink essentially nothing but Southsides for a good six months, if I had to guess. I’ve since grown out of its simple mint and citrus template a bit and crave more complexity than it offers me now, but it’s still a damn good classic cocktail that has absolutely earned its place it cocktail lore. I love how refreshing and gin-forward it is and will probably always consider it a favorite gin drink even if I do prefer variations over the original these days.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.

Sale
The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks with 150 Recipes
The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks with 150 Recipes
Hardcover Book; Editors of PUNCH (Author); English (Publication Language); 352 Pages – 09/05/2017 (Publication Date) – Ten Speed Press (Publisher)
$13.05 Amazon Prime

This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2024-10-14.

Southside

The Southside is a classic cocktail that is believed to have been created in the 1800s and named for Southside Sportsmen’s Club in Long Island, New York. According to historians, the bar was a popular spot for rich men who traveled to the island from the city to hunt, fish, and drink, and it’s believed that minty cocktails, including this one made with dry gin, citrus, simple syrup, and mint, were the most popular ones at the time.

Prep Time 3 mins Assembly Time 2 mins Total Time 5 mins Difficulty: Intermediate Servings: 1 Calories: 160 Best Season: Summer

Ingredients

Method

  1. Add mint leaves and simple syrup to a shaker.

  2. Muddle gently.

  3. Add gin, lime juice, orange bitters, and cubed ice to shaker.

  4. Shake for 10-20 seconds.

  5. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Frequently Asked Questions

Expand All:
How do I make this cocktail recipe non-alcoholic?

Use MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin to try a mocktail version of this drink.

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About The Author

Kendall is the creator of Novel Nightcaps, a mixology blog chronicling recipes she tries from her cocktail book collection.