Column by Stacey Abell
The mint julep and the mojito are classic cocktails that rely on mint for both garnish and flavor. However, I would like to turn your attention to a lesser-known but equally deserving libation — the South Side.
The history of the South Side is as murky as the pond water this drink is said to resemble. One story has this cocktail originating on the south side of Chicago during Prohibition, where the mint and citrus flavors were relied upon to disguise the inferior quality of bathtub gin.
An article in the Wall Street Journal claims the beverage first was served at the South Side Sportsman’s Club on Long Island in the 1880s. Regardless of its provenance, the cocktail became forever linked to the city of Baltimore. Mount Gay rum, preferred by sailors and yachtsmen, replaced the gin and it soon became a staple drink of the country club set.
I was first introduced to this cocktail a few years ago during a weekend trip to Chicago. I spent the majority of a mid-July day sweating through the city streets and had sought respite in the nearest Starbucks for some air conditioning and a cool drink.
As I leafed through the Chicago Tribune at my table, I happened upon a recipe for a vintage cocktail that sounded like the perfect antidote to the oppressive heat. After some research and experimentation, I would like to present my “south side of Burlington” version of this East Coast classic.
The South Side
(The following recipe was adapted from Leah Eskin’s article in the Chicago Tribune, as well as a recipe provided to the Baltimore Sun by bartender Andy Ervin, who started mixing the South Side at Baltimore’s Elkridge Club in 1961.)
Makes 4 12-ounce cocktails
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
3 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
4 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 cups (not packed) mint, including stems
Ice
Club soda
Combine water, sugar and lemon zest in a small saucepan and bring to a low boil. Cover and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cool and strain out zest. Once the simple syrup is cool, add lemon and lime juices and chill until cold.
Add the mint to the chilled mixture. Pour into a blender or food processor and run on high until mint is chopped about 30-60 seconds. At this point, it’s going to look a little like a green smoothie, but don’t be alarmed! Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large glass.
For each drink, fill a 12-ounce highball glass with ice. Add 3 ounces of the mint mixture and 2 ounces of your liquor of choice. Mount Gay Eclipse Gold rum can be purchased locally at Hy-Vee, but I prefer a clear liquor in this drink. Gin, white rum, or vodka are all acceptable substitutes.
Top with chilled club soda, garnish with mint and a lime wedge and serve. This mixture can also be combined with club soda for an alcohol-free beverage.