Along with the Gin Rickey, the Sidecar and the Hanky Panky, this drink rose to fame during the prohibition years of the 1920s.
The 21 Club was originally a notorious speakeasy, located in New York City and run by two enterprising cousins. Although frequently raided, they were never shut-down because a system of tunnels would allow patrons to escape as the police pounded on the door. All the liquor bottles were pushed down a chute where any evidence of wrongdoing would be swept away by the city sewers. It is now a posh restaurant, frequented by the rich and famous, operating in the same location it has occupied since 1929.
The South Side is said to have originated at Club 21, but a rival tale places its birth on the south side of Chicago. Al Capone’s gang ran a rough gin that needed to be sweetened to make it more appealing. On the north side, patrons drank the smoother gin that was supplied by other gangsters with ginger ale, while Capone’s southsiders enjoyed theirs with sugar and mint.
The South Side Fizz was supposedly Capone’s drink of choice. It includes a dash of soda and exchanges lime juice for the lemon. We’re going to give you the recipe for the classic South Side that is still served at New York’s Club 21.
Here’s what you need to make a Southside:
Ingredients
- 60ml Gin
- 25ml Lemon juice
- 20ml Sugar syrup
- 8 Mint leaves
Preparation
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice
- Add all ingredients except the mint
- Shake vigorously
- Add mint leaves, leaving one aside for garnish
- Roll the shaker gently to extract the mint oil from the leaves
- Strain into a cocktail glass
- Garnish with a mint leaf
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Ice
- Cocktail glass
