The South Side recipe
fresh with mint
Place the coupe in the freezer or fill it with ice and water to chill it.
Put the gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and mint leaves in the shaker. If using egg white, add a few drops.
Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously for twelve seconds; with egg white, shake for twenty seconds.
Discard the ice or water from the coupe and double-strain the cocktail into it, so no pieces of mint get through.
Garnish with a sprig of mint that you first slap briefly against your palm.
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The story
There are several stories about the origins of the South Side, and none of them can be proven. The best-known story places the name in Chicago's South Side, where Al Capone's gang supposedly made the drink to make harsh bootleg gin palatable with sugar and mint. Their rivals on the North Side were said to have had better gin and to have drunk it with ginger ale. A second story points to the Southside Sportsmen's Club on Long Island, a hunting and fishing club near New York. What is certain is that the cocktail became known in New York through the 21 Club, which served its own version. Today, it is on the official list of the International Bartenders Association.
The right glass
The IBA serves the South Side in a chilled cocktail glass without ice, and a coupe is the most convenient choice for this. With 22 to 26 cl, there is plenty of room for approximately 13 cl of drink and a sprig of mint, without spilling when you pick it up. The wide opening releases the mint aroma, while the stem keeps your hand away from the cold drink. You can find our coupes among the champagne coupe glasses.
RCR Opera Champagne Glass / Coupe 24 cl (6 pieces)
Bormioli Rocco America'20S Champagne Glass / Coupe 22 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 79,90.
The right tools
For a South Side, besides the glass, you need a Boston shaker, a jigger for precise measuring, a cocktail strainer, a fine strainer for double straining, and a citrus press. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find them all in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 5 bar tools together € 175,70.
What do you make a South Side with?
You need gin for a South Side. Well-known bottles include Tanqueray No. Ten and Gordon's. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Add 6 cl of soda water and serve it over ice in a highball glass to make a South Side Fizz: a kind of minty Tom Collins. Swap the lemon for lime and you'll get close to a Gimlet with mint. The egg white isn't a deviation from the recipe: the IBA lists a few drops as an option. Use basil instead of mint and serve it over ice to essentially make a lighter Gin Basil Smash.
Serving tip
Use only the leaves, as the stems add a grassy note. Keep a bunch of mint like a bouquet in a glass of water on the counter; it will stay fresh for a few days and you'll always have a beautiful sprig for garnish.
Good to know
South Side, Gimlet and Gin Basil Smash
Three gin cocktails from the sour family, each with its own character. The Gimlet is gin with lime and sugar, without herbs: crisp, sour and direct. The South Side adds mint and uses lemon instead of lime, making it fresher and smoother. The Gin Basil Smash swaps mint for basil, is served over ice in a tumbler and is slightly sweeter. If you're unsure: the South Side is the lightest of the three and the easiest to make for guests, because you don't need to muddle the leaves.
Should you muddle the mint
No. The mint leaves go into the shaker whole in a South Side, and the ice muddles them just enough while shaking. If you muddle them first, bitter, grassy notes are released and leaf fragments end up in the coupe. What you should do is double-strain: pour the drink through your shaker's regular strainer and a fine strainer at the same time, so only the liquid goes into the glass. You can find a fine strainer in our cocktail strainers.
South Side with egg white
The IBA lists a few drops of egg white as an option. It really means drops here, about half a teaspoon, not a whole egg white as in a Whiskey Sour. That little bit of egg white gives the drink a silky texture and a thin layer of foam on which the mint leaf can rest. Shake with egg white for longer and harder, twenty seconds, so it becomes properly frothy. Use a fresh egg or pasteurized egg white from a carton. If you do not want the taste of egg, simply leave it out: the basic version is without it.
Which gin works in a South Side
The IBA specifies London Dry gin, and rightly so. The juniper and citrus in a London Dry give the mint a sturdy backbone; a soft, floral gin quickly makes the drink flat. Choose a bottle with 40 to 47 percent alcohol. A gin with plenty of citrus, such as Tanqueray No. Ten, emphasizes the freshness of the lemon. A classic, juniper-forward gin such as Gordon's keeps the drink drier and more herbal. Flavored gins with strawberry or pink grapefruit do not work here, as they clash with the mint.
South Side for a group
For six coupes, mix 36 cl gin, 18 cl lemon juice, and 9 cl sugar syrup in a jug beforehand and refrigerate it. Add the mint only when shaking, twelve leaves per two glasses; otherwise it will wilt and discolor in the jug. Shake 21 cl of the mixture with ice for every two coupes and double-strain. Juice the lemons no more than four hours in advance; after that, the juice becomes flat. This way, you can finish each round within two minutes and every coupe stays equally fresh.
Alcohol-free South Side
To make an alcohol-free South Side, use 6 cl alcohol-free gin, 3 cl lemon juice, 1 cl sugar syrup, and six mint leaves. Reduce the syrup slightly because alcohol-free gin has less body, and a full 1.5 cl can quickly make the drink taste like lemonade. Shake and strain just like the original. Without alcohol-free gin, you can use 6 cl of chilled green tea; its slight bitterness reasonably fills in for the juniper. Serve in the same chilled coupe, so no one will miss anything in terms of appearance.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a South Side cocktail?
According to the IBA, a South Side contains 6 cl London Dry gin, 3 cl fresh lemon juice, 1.5 cl sugar syrup, and five to six mint leaves. A few drops of egg white may be added. Shake everything with ice, double-strain into a chilled coupe, and garnish with a sprig of mint.
Where does the name South Side come from?
That is not certain. The best-known story traces the name to Chicago's South Side, where Al Capone's gang supposedly made rough bootleg gin drinkable with sugar and mint. Another story points to the Southside Sportsmen's Club on Long Island. There is no hard evidence for either.
What is the difference between a South Side and a Mojito?
A South Side uses gin and lemon, is shaken, and served without ice in a coupe. The Mojito uses white rum and lime, is built in the glass over ice, and topped with soda. The South Side is therefore drier and crisper, while the Mojito is longer and sweeter.
Which glass do you serve a South Side in?
In a chilled coupe of 22 to 26 cl, without ice, as prescribed by the IBA. The wide bowl lets the mint aroma escape well, while the stem keeps the drink cold. If you make a South Side Fizz with soda, use a highball glass with ice.
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