Less obvious than its trendy cousin the mojito, the South Side has a simple elegance. Its origins are shrouded in mystery as either a favorite of Prohibition Era gangsters on the South Side of Chicago trying to mask the taste of their home-brewed gin or a invention of the ever-elegant 21 Club in NYC.
Photo by Julia Murphy
For such an unknown cocktail, the South Side gets around. It can be made with pretty much with anything—gin, vodka or rum. It’s perfect if you need a last minute cocktail: all you need is citrus, sugar, mint, club soda and your choice of the good stuff (or the cheap stuff, I don’t know your life.)
I chose the super easy way out with margarita mix as my combined citrus and sugar factor.
Photo by Julia Murphy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2 drinks
Ingredients:
6 ounces good margarita mix (I used Tres Agaves)
3 ounces dark rum
Handful fresh mint
Club soda
Directions:
1. Combine rum, margarita mix and mint in a cocktail shaker or jar, full of ice.
2. Shake hard so mint leaves are bruised and strain into two glasses.
3. Top with club soda and a fun straw.
Need more summer cocktails?