Cucumber Southside

Earthy cucumbers, sharp limes and cool mint make for a perfectly refreshing cocktail to drink all spring and summer long.

    

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What You Need For This Recipe

• Granulated Sugar
• Water
• Cucumber
• Mint Leaves
• Gin
• Lime juice

What Is A Southside

A Southside is a cocktail made up of gin, lime juice, sugar and mint.  The history of this drink can be traced back to 1916 during the Prohibition Era. It appeared in the book “Recipes for Mixed Drinks” by Huge Enslinn as the South Side Fizz. His recipe included club soda although modern recipes remove the bubbles and 'Fizz' from the title to get what we know as the Southside today. 

In this recipe, we're adding cucumber for an even more refreshing cocktail just in time for summer.

How To Make A Cucumber Southside 

Make The Simple Syrup

This cocktail begins with the cucumber simple syrup. In saucepan, add in water and sugar and cook on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. While the sugar is cooking, grate the cucumber. Once the sugar is done, remove from the heat. Add in the grated cucumber, cover with a lid and steep for 30 minutes.

Strain into a glass container using a fine mesh strainer and/or cheesecloth to separate out the smaller pieces. Cover the a lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Make The Cocktail

I like to serve this drink in coupe or martini glass. Which means this drink won't be poured over ice. If doing the same, before you begin, place your serving glasses in the freezer to chill.

In your cocktail shaker, add the cucumber syrup and mint leaves.  Carefully muddle the mint in the syrup using a muddler, rolling pin or the back of a spoon. The best way to muddle mint without tearing it (tearing will make the mint bitter), is too gently press down and slightly twist then lift the tool, press down and twist again. Do this about five or six times. 

Add in your ice, lime juice and gin. Shake until chilled. 

While shaking, the mint will naturally break up into small bits, which won't separate out with just a cocktail strainer. That's where double straining helps (because who wants mints in their teeth). Doubling straining is simply using a Hawthorne and a cocktail strainer or a fine mesh strainer to catch smaller elements you don't want in the finished cocktail. 

Using the Hawthorne strainer, pour the drink through the cocktail strainer into the chilled glasses. Serve with a garnish of mint and cucumber slices and spirals. 

Tips For Making This Recipe

• If using a coupe or martini glass, place them in the freezer to chill before you begin making the cocktail. 

• While shaking, the mint will inevitably break into small pieces. Double straining will prevent these bits from getting into your finished drink.
• When muddling the mint, be gentle. Being too vigorous will bring out the bitterness in the mint.

Enjoy,