The South Side

When one thinks of warm weather drinking and mint, the mind typically goes in one of two directions: either the mint julep, or the mojito. Properly made, both are excellent drinks. But each suffers from a certain level of fussiness. For the mint julep, that’s the question of hyper-specific serving ware (silver julep cups) and crushed ice, while the mojito’s complications arise from such concerns as whether to muddle the mint, add soda water, garnish with a sugarcane stalk, etc.

My third course is to simply make a South Side, an easy, sour-style cocktail made by shaking gin, simple syrup and citrus with a handful of mint. And yet, the South Side is not so simple as it seems, for myriad reasons. On one level, there’s the question of its heritage, with the more fanciful chroniclers dating it to Al Capone’s suzerainty over the South Side of Chicago and its attendant bootleg gin trade, although it seems to have more likely originated at the Southside Sportsman’s Club of Long Island, based on its first appearances in print.

And then there’s the question of citrus: varying recipes cite this component as lemon, lime or even an equal part blending of both. Having explored its make with both of the aforementioned fruits—and buttressed by the long-standing recipe of New York’s sadly shuttered 21 Club—I’ve come to subscribe to the lemon view. Its more bracing quality is a better match not only for the equal formulation of simple syrup, but also the piney character of the London dry gin that is the drink’s foundation. 

Instructions for the drink also suggest muddling the mint with the lemon juice prior to adding the other ingredients. So far as you don’t overdo it, this can’t hurt, but in the interests of simplicity, you’ll still be well-served simply shaking a handful of mint springs alongside the other components to transmit their flavor. After all, this drink is essentially a garden party in both taste and spirit and might be best enjoyed at the end of a long, hot summer’s day when you simply can’t be bothered. 

South Side 

60ml London dry gin 

30 ml fresh lemon juice  

30ml simple syrup 

5 mint leaves  

Add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled (about 10 seconds) and double strain into a chilled coupe glass.