We were hanging out on Sunday enjoying the snow and I got to thinking about how long it had been since I put on my cocktail thinking cap and started pondering what I’d like to mix up. I had meyer lemons left over from a recipe we made on New Year’s Eve and I wanted to mix up a cocktail that would play off their complex and subtly sweet flavors. I was originally thinking whiskey as the base, but decided it would be too strong. Then I landed on gin and shortly there-after realized there was already a classic cocktail, the Southside, based on gin, lemon and mint. Thinking time is over…mixing time begins.
The recipe for the Southside that I found in The Joy of Mixology called for muddling the mint, sugar and lemon. I didn’t want the mint to be the star so I opted for a different tact. Toss all the ingredients in a shaker, give it a few solid shakes, but don’t shake the hell out of it, strain and enjoy.
Meyer Lemon Southside
2 oz Gin (go with a light option) 1 oz Meyer Lemon Juice 1/2 oz Simple Syrup 5-6 Mint Leaves
1) Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice 2) Shake firmly 10-12 times 3) Strain into a cocktail glass
Very tasty and really great to be mixing up cocktails again. Let’s do more of this, shall we.