First, just a reminder that Sunday, August 28, 2011, is our monthly exercise in folly, Savoy Cocktail Book Night at Alembic Bar. If any of the cocktails, (they also have a great beer selection,) on this blog have captured your fancy, stop by after 6 and allow the skilled bartenders, (and me,) to make them for you. It is always a fun time.

South Side Fizz
The Juice of 1/2 Lemon. (Juice 1/2 Lemon, Juice 1/2 Lime)
1/2 Tablespoonful Powdered Sugar. (1-ish Tablespoon Rich Simple Syrup, or to taste)
1 Glass Gin. (2 oz Anchor Junipero Gin)

Shake well strain into medium size glass and fill with syphon soda water.  Add fresh mint leaves.

As I noted a couple years ago, The South Side, even though it is often now served without soda, has its roots in a Fizz. That is, a Gin Fizz with mint and sprigs of mint for garnish.

The recipe for the South Side Fizz is a little oblique as far as instructions go.

My advice as far as METHOD goes:

Combine Gin, Citrus, Syrup, and a few Mint Leaves in a shaker tin. Shake well and fine strain into an 8 oz Juice or Fizz Glass. Top with Soda Water and garnish with fresh sprigs of mint.

Any drink with leaves of fresh herbs in the shaker tin should always be fine strained. Little green specks of mint look no good in anyone’s teeth, especially when they’re trying to impress their date.

The South Side is another classic cocktail, which really only became possible to make properly with the advent of the modern bar and the return of fresh mint and citrus to the bar set up. It is truly one of the GREAT drinks and a crowd pleaser, tunable for almost any guest, even those that think they don’t like Gin. Also one of my wife’s favorites, give it a try on yours.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the drinks in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, the, uh, Sauterne Cup.