Bartender Eric Alperin, The Varnish, Cocktail Recipe, The Southside Cocktail, London Dry Gin, Mint, Lime Juice, Tovolo Ice Cube Tray, Large Ice, Cocktail Shaker, How To Make Cocktails, Bartender’s Tips
Recommended By
- Bartender Jim Meehan of PDT in New York, NY
- Bartender Todd Thrasher of PX in Arlington, VA
- Bartender Daniel Shoemaker of Teardrop Lounge in Portland, OR
What
Cocktail recipe for the Southside cocktail from bartender Eric Alperin of The Varnish bar in Los Angeles, CA.
Who
Bartender Eric Alperin heads up the bar program at the speakeasy The Varnish in downtown Los Angeles, CA.
Why
Eric Alperin is respected by fellow bartenders for his creative drinks and tremendous hospitality. To get to The Varnish, you enter in the back of downtown L.A.’s legendary Cole’s French Dip and stop at the secret oak door with a picture of a coupe glass on it.
Southside
Recipe by Eric Alperin of The Varnish
Yield
1 drink
Glass: Coupe / Martini Glass (preferably 5 to 6 oz. in size)
Garnish: Mint Leaf
Ice: Large Cubes
Ingredients
- 2 oz London Dry Gin
- 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice (ideally, the juice is squeezed to order, but can be prepared maybe an hour in advance if it is refrigerated)
- 3/4 oz simple syrup (superfine sugar can be substituted, to taste)
- 5 to 6 small, tender mint leaves
- 1 tender mint leaf, set aside
Directions
1) "Clap" the 5 to 6 mint leaves in your hands to release the aroma and add them to a cocktail shaker. Do not muddle the mint.
2) Add the rest of the ingredients and ice to the shaker.
3) Shake hard until drink is cold, but not too watery. The shaking time depends on size and temperature of your ice.
4) Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass.
5) If you are not using block ice, you can double-strain to remove small ice shards that will further dilute the drink.
6) Take the remaining mint leaf, "clap" it to release aroma, and float it on the drink to garnish.
Notes
Shaker
Use as large a shaker as possible and never shake more than 2 portions per shaker.
Ice
Use the largest, most dense ice possible. If you can not purchase block ice and chip it down yourself, we recommend using large ice molds from brands like Tovolo. Also, make sure the ice is as cold as possible, and hasn't been sitting out and "sweating," for the same reason.
Shaking
The larger and denser the ice, the longer you can shake before the drink becomes watery, creating a colder drink with better texture.
Bartender Eric Alperin | Cocktail Recipes
July 5, 2012
Cocktail Recipes
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Buy Ingredients
Buy Tools
Tovolo Ice Cube Mold
“Use the largest, most dense ice possible. If you can not purchase block ice and chip it down yourself, we recommend using large ice molds from brands like Tovolo.”
Also recommended by bartender Jamie Boudreau of Canon in Seattle, WA.
The Varnish
Downtown
Cocktails
118 East 6th Street / Behind Cole’s
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Website:
The Varnish - Los Angeles, CA
Photographs courtesy of The Varnish
