South Side

Steps

1. 1

   Tear the mint leaves off the stems and drop them into the bottom of your shaker. Pour the simple syrup over the mint, then press gently with a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon 3 or 4 times—just enough to bruise the leaves and release the oils, don't mash them into a paste.

   

   !Over-muddling mint tears the leaves and releases bitter chlorophyll instead of just the aromatic oils.

2. 2

   Add the gin, lime juice, and a big handful of ice to the shaker—fill it almost to the top so the drink chills fast. Seal the shaker tight.

   

   !Adding ice before the syrup makes the mint leaves stick together and harder to muddle evenly.

3. 3

   Shake hard for about 10 to 12 seconds until the outside of the shaker feels ice-cold and frosty. The ice breaks down the mint and chills everything down while adding just enough water.

   ~12s

   

   !Shaking too softly leaves the drink warm and doesn't extract enough mint flavor.

4. 4

   Pop the shaker open and pour the drink through a Hawthorne strainer into your chilled coupe glass. The strainer will catch the bruised mint leaves and ice shards.

   

   !Pouring too fast can splash the drink over the rim of the small coupe glass.

5. 5

   Slap the mint sprig between your palms once to wake it up, then set it on the rim of the glass. Serve it right away while it's still icy cold.

   

   !Forgetting to slap the mint leaves it smelling like nothing when you take a sip.