Southside Cocktail

  Posted on May 21, 2012  by Leslie Blythe  No comments

Summer is almost here and with it, a whole array of warm weather cocktails!  My husband, the family mixologist, has his  favorites, many of which are inspired by time we have spent back east–which is at its best in the summer  (okay, maybe August in Manhattan isn’t so great…).  He never orders a Mount Gay and tonic without waxing sentimental about some beach he spent time on in the east.  The drink that he feels most sums up summer on the eastern seaboard is the Southside. Ironically, the Windy City claims this as their own but then so does the 21 Club so I think that we can safely call this an east coast drink.  Either way, this is a deliciously refreshing summer cooler.  Basically, this is a Mojito made with gin.  Whereas the rum in a Mojito gives it a rich, warm golden glow, the combination of mint, lime, sugar and gin, with its bracing, herbal (some would even say medicinal) properties makes this drink the most refreshing summer cooler you can imagine.  If you spend time at the Raquet Club or on the beach in Watch Hill you will know what I mean.  If not, bust open a bottle of gin, grab a handfull of fresh mint and get going!  Some serve this as a shaken cocktail served straight up, but our favorite way is to serve it as a highball with plenty of ice and soda.   Here is our version, to be adapted as you like:

Southside

2 oz gin (we use Gordons)
Juice of one lime
1 oz (or more to taste) of simple syrup
6 leaves of fresh mint (leaving the tip of the branch for garnish)
Club Soda
Crushed Ice

Muddle the mint leaves, lime juice and simple syrup in a highball glass.  Add the gin and muddle some more. Fill glass with crushed ice and add a splash of club soda.  Mix well and garnish with mint sprig and enjoy!  Note:  This can be made with vodka but the herbal quality of the gin gives this drink its character, so if you go for vodka, add a dash of bitters.