Minted Southside Fizz
Contributed by on Jul 18, 2014
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If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one liquor, what would it be? For me, that question is simple. It would be gin. Normally, come summer I am all about Gin and Tonics – but this Minted Southside Fizz has rapidly become my “tipple” of choice for hot and lazy afternoons and sweltering evenings. A little sour, a little sweet with just enough aromatics to liven things up. The mint plays beautifully with the juniper and citrus notes that are the hallmarks of a good London dry gin.
And speaking of gin, why would gin be my liquor of choice if stranded on a desert island? Well, taste aside, it is the quintessential cocktail liquor. Without it, we wouldn’t have the martini, the negroni, a tom collins or a gimlet and of course there would be no gin and tonic! Fortunately, gin is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance. Small, boutique distillers are popping up it seems everywhere in the United States, England, Scotland and Australia. Playing with a range of botanicals, these distillers are crafting gins to suit just about any taste and any cocktail! So, if you’ve written off gin I urge you to reconsider. One of my most recent discoveries is Sipsmith London Dry Gin – which is perhaps, the loveliest gin to every grace my lips. Like all true London “dry” style gins, it is juniper forward – but don’t let that scare you off. The juniper is beautifully balanced with the other botanicals resulting in a bold yet smooth gin that works as well in a martini as it does in this refreshing Minted Southside Fizz.
So what’s with this whole “minted” business anyway? The cocktail I’ve described is a basic Southside Fizz, right? Yes, it is, but since I changed the technique a bit, I felt (in the interests of full disclosure) that I shouldn’t just call it a Southside Fizz. I used a homemade mint syrup in place of the muddled mint – since I don’t always have fresh mint on hand decided using a homemade mint syrup might be the solution – which btw, it has and so as long as I have gin and lemons, a Minted Southside Fizz is always within reach… which could be a good or a bad thing… so I’ll have to get back to you on that one!
Cheers!!
- 1½ oz. Sipsmith Dry London Gin
- 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
- ¾ oz. Mint Syrup
- sparkling water
- fresh mint sprigs for garnish
- Combine the gin, fresh lemon juice and mint syrup in a cocktail shaker.
- Fill the shaker with ice.
- Shake for 30 seconds.
- Strain over ice into chilled collins glass.
- Top off with sparkling water.
- Garnish with fresh mint.
- 2 cups water, divided
- 1 cup sugar
- 10 sprigs fresh mint
- 1 Tbsp. vodka
- Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan.
- Add the mint sprigs and blanch for 45 seconds.
- Remove mint, place in a colander and drain under cool running water.
- Empty the cooking water from the pan and add remaining 1 cup water.
- Add 1 cup sugar.
- Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 2 minutes until sugar has fully dissolved.
- Remove from the heat.
- Add mint and stir.
- Let mint steep in sugar syrup for ½ hour.
- Remove mint.
- Stir in 1 Tbsp. vodka (keeps sugar from re crystalizing)
- Store cooled syrup in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 weeks or in the freezer for longer storage.
