Southside Cocktail

2 oz Gin
¾ oz fresh lime juice
2 pieces of lime
2 sprigs of mint
4 oz soda water
1 oz simple syrup

Muddle one sprig of mint with the lime pieces, lime juice, and simple syrup in the bottom of a bar glass. Add gin and shake well. Pour into a goblet over crushed ice and stir until outside of the glass frosts. Top with soda water, garnish with remaining sprig of mint. Serve and enjoy.

The Southside cocktail is a very fresh and summer-time-esque drink. We chose to use New Amsterdam, which is a rather sweet gin. It made the sour of the lime rather distinct. We think next time we’ll choose a more meaty gin that will play off the mint more.

Although, similar to the disturbingly popular mojito, we find this an easier drinking cocktail. We could have a dozen or so of these, without feeling it at all … until too late. This kind of cocktail could reestablish gin as the king of booze once again. In this cocktail, the tartness and flavor of the gin makes it more approachable to the average drinker. This is a definite cross-over drink.