The Southside Margaret Jones Cocktail

Hello once again, my Thirsty Ones. Tonight, I am serving up the Southside Margaret Jones Cocktail. Margaret earned this honor by crushing every one of her 200 meters rows at the Bloomington Body Bar "Shockwave" class today.  There were seven of us in the class. We were each pretty fierce and amazing - just saying - but Margaret just plain bested us on the rower. And, she did it with her customary grace and style. Here's to you, Margaret Jones!

The Southside is an old classic cocktail and there are more than a few ways to make one. I took a basic recipe that called for lemon juice. Some call for lime.  I altered the recipe so that the mint flavor would really come through. I also made one drink  with the sugar reduced by half. These modifications were nods to Ms. Jones, who requested a minty, not-too-sweet, cocktail for tonight's post. And, last but certainly not least, I added some bitters to the recipe: A few dashes of Peychaud's. I chose Peychaud's because I thought its floral flavor would compliment the drink. I also hoped that its beautiful red color would give The Southside Margaret Jones a bit of a blush. (Margaret is the kind of woman who would blush. She is a real lady.)

A couple of notes on the sugar content. The reduced sugar version (1 tsp. instead of 2) was very refreshing and had a strong lemon edge. The version with 2 tsp. was still refreshing and light, but it was smoother. It also had a stronger mint note, which I preferred.  

Here is the lovely Southside Margaret Jones photographed on our patio. In this photo, Margaret is double strained. Had she been single strained, she would have had minty green flecks throughout. Next time, I might add a few more dashes of bitters to make her blush more.

Our first Hydrangea of the season looks on, probably with envy.

The Southside Margaret Jones Cocktail

2 ounces Gin (I used Beefeater Gin tonight with good results)

1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

6 or more fresh mint leaves

3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

1-2 tsp. of sugar, depending on how sweet you like your Margaret

Mint for garnish

In a cocktail shaker, muddle together the mint, sugar, and bitters making sure you really crush up the mint leaves for flavor. Add the lemon juice and muddle a bit more. Add the gin and ice. Shake until chilled. Single strain if you want little green minty specs in the drink, or double strain if you don't. 

Cheers, Thirsty Readers! Until tomorrow.