Southside Recipe

Make the syrup

Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar completely dissolves and the mixture comes to a gentle simmer (do not boil vigorously).

Infuse mint

Remove the saucepan from heat and add 1 cup of fresh mint leaves. Stir to submerge the leaves and let steep for 15 minutes so the syrup takes on mint aroma and flavor.

Strain and cool: Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a clean container, pressing gently on the leaves to extract flavor. Discard the solids. Let the syrup cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Keeps up to 2 weeks refrigerated.

Muddle mint

In a cocktail shaker, place 8 fresh mint leaves and the mint simple syrup (0.75 oz). Gently muddle the leaves just enough to release oils — avoid tearing into tiny bits to prevent excessive bitterness.

Add ingredients

Add 2 oz Hendricks Gin, 0.5 oz dry vermouth, and 0.75 oz fresh lime juice to the shaker with the muddled mint.

Shake with ice

Fill the shaker with ice (about 1 cup). Secure the lid and shake vigorously for 10–15 seconds, until the exterior of the shaker is well chilled and slightly frosted.

Double-strain

Double-strain the mixture (using a Hawthorne or julep strainer plus a fine mesh strainer or a julep strainer over a tea strainer) into a chilled coupe or a rocks glass over fresh ice (use 0.5 cup ice if serving over ice). Double-straining removes muddled mint fragments for a clean texture.

Garnish and serve

Express a mint sprig or lime twist over the drink to release aromatics, then drop the mint sprig into the glass and optionally add a lime wheel at the rim. Serve immediately.