A bracing gin sour brightened with fresh mint — essentially a Gimlet that took a turn through the herb garden, the Southside balances London Dry gin against lemon, a touch of simple syrup, and a handful of muddled-then-shaken mint leaves. Its name is a matter of cheerful dispute, claimed variously by Chicago's South Side, a Long Island sportsmen's club, and Prohibition lore tying it to Al Capone's gang. First set in print as a soda-topped "South Side Fizz" in Hugo Ensslin's 1917 manual, it was later polished into the crisp, straight-up classic served at New York's 21 Club.
Garnish: Mint Sprig
Shaken · Coupe · None
add
Add the gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, mint leaves, and optional egg white to a shaker.
shake
Shake well with ice (vigorously if egg white is included) to chill and break up the mint.
strain
Double-strain into a chilled coupe to leave the mint and ice behind.
garnish
Garnish with a fresh mint sprig.