Southside
- 2 oz60 ml London dry gin
- ¾ oz22 ml fresh lemon juice
- ¾ oz22 ml simple syrup
- 88 fresh mint leaves
- Lightly muddle the mint with the syrup in a shaker.
- Add the gin, lemon juice and ice, and shake hard until very cold.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe so no mint bits get through.
- Garnish with a mint leaf. Add a splash of soda if you like, as the Savoy did.
Garnish: mint leaf
The syrup
In this recipe
Classic Simple Syrup¾ oz22 ml
Simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water, heated just until the sugar dissolves.
3/4 oz simple syrup.
As printed: 1/2 tablespoon powdered sugar shaken with 2 mint sprigs (Savoy). Punch (Joaquín Simó): 3/4 oz 1:1 simple syrup muddled with 6-8 mint leaves.
Or use
Mint Simple Syrup¾ oz22 ml
Mint simple syrup is 1:1 sugar syrup flavored with fresh spearmint.
Mint syrup is a documented route here (21 Club). Swap it 1:1 for the simple syrup and keep 4-5 fresh leaves in the shaker for the bright top note and green flecks.
As printed: The 21 Club recipe (as given by Wikipedia) uses 1 oz mint simple syrup plus 4-5 fresh mint leaves.
Where it comes from
The Savoy Cocktail Book printed it as the 'South Side Cocktail' in 1930. New York's 21 Club claims it as a Prohibition-era house drink, while other accounts trace it to the Southside Sportsmen's Club on Long Island.
Source: The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock (1930).
Checked against: The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), p. 152, scan on archive.org · Punch: Southside (Joaquín Simó) · Kindred Cocktails: Southside · Wikipedia: South Side (cocktail)
The Savoy Cocktail Book (Harry Craddock)
Gear for this drink
Mixology & Craft 16-Piece Cocktail Shaker Set
OXO SteeL Angled Measuring Jigger
Best for Measuring syrup into drinks
Cuisinart Fine Mesh Stainless Strainers (set of 3)
Best for Every infused or fruit syrup
Keep going