Unlike many of my colleagues at Sauce, I’ve never been a big fan of gin. It doesn’t help that my first exposure to the spirit came when a server mixed up my vodka and tonic with my dad’s gin and tonic (ordered “easy on the tonic”). I’ve since tried it in other cocktails, but it always comes off too herbaceous, too floral, too … ginny. Apparently I’m more of a beer and bourbon girl.
So when Molly Wellmann claimed in her book Handcrafted Cocktails that she had a drink that could win over gin haters like me, I had to try it. Handcrafted Cocktails is the perfect resource for the wannabe bartender. The first two chapters are devoted to bartending tools and techniques (Yes, you do need to measure, and no, you do not shake a martini.), basic spirit recommendations and homemade mixers.
The rest of the book is divided into chapters based on when one should drink that particular cocktail: morning, afternoon, happy hour, dinner or after dinner. Some of the cocktails are Wellmann’s own creations while most are classic cocktails with the history behind them. Wellmann proves herself quite the history buff with her knowledge of Prohibition-era drinking, when many of today’s classic cocktails were born, including her gin-converting drink.
The Southside, she explains, was created in Chicago during Prohibition, when local gangs made bathtub gin for speakeasies. The gin was so terrible that bartenders added sugar, lemon and mint to hide the taste. My thoughts exactly. Still, Wellmann said the Southside is perfect “to convince people gin can taste good (especially if you think you hate gin because you’ve only had gin and tonic form a bar gun).” Very well. Challenge accepted.
The ingredients seemed simple and not nearly strong enough to disguise the taste. I took a hesitant sip. And then another. And another, just to be sure I wasn’t missing something. This was actually good. The sharp gin I expected to assault my palate was mellowed by the sweet-sour punch of the triple sec and lemon, and the fresh mint actually enhanced pleasant herbal notes in the spirit. Touché, Wellmann.
Southside
1 Serving
1½ oz. gin
½ oz. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
½ oz. triple sec
6 mint leaves
• Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass. Fill with ice and shake. Double strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with additional mint leaves.
Reprinted with permission with Betterway Home Books What surprising cocktail or other beverage made you drink your words? Tell us about it in the comments section below for a chance to win a copy of Handcrafted Cocktails. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s By the Book column.
This article appears in January 2014.