The Cocktail Associated With Al Capone's Prohibition-Era Drinking - Tasting Table

Al Capone became a major figure in organized crime by age 26, leading influential networks during Prohibition. His organization expanded through illegal brewing, distilling, and distribution of beer and spirits, reaching Canada and benefiting from protection by police and politicians. Chicago’s gangs split along supply lines, with North Side groups importing legal booze while South Side groups produced bathtub gin. Capone’s gang needed a way to make the harsh drink more palatable, leading to the Southside cocktail. The cocktail uses muddled mint, gin, lime juice, simple syrup, and soda, then is shaken, strained, and served in a highball glass. Capone reportedly enjoyed it, though origins remain unclear, with early references possibly appearing before Prohibition in 1913.

"Al Capone was such a notorious ne'er-do-well that we're still talking about his exploits 100 years later. The mobster defined the Prohibition era - charismatic yet ruthless, he controlled vast bootlegging networks and speakeasies. He's the reason you should never buy food from the grocery store without checking the expiration date and even (so apropos for a bootlegger) inspired a cocktail that takes its name from his gangland territory - Chicago's South Side."

"By the tender age of 26, Capone was already head of one of the country's most influential crime organizations. The gang did develop some legitimate businesses, but it was the illegal brewing, distilling, and distribution of beer and spirits that led to their infamy. Capone's network of illegal booze distribution reached all the way to Canada and was protected by police and politicians thanks to Capone greasing their palms. He spent the next several years eliminating rival gangs and taking over their territory."

"The city of Chicago was divided: While North Side gangs imported regular, legally-made booze from Canada, Capone's South Side gangs made bathtub gin - by all accounts, a nasty concoction. Capone and his gang needed to figure out a way to make their sauce a little more palatable. Enter the Southside cocktail. Capone's Southside Cocktail was made to cover the ick of bathtub gin"

"The Southside cocktail is relatively simple to make. Start by muddling some mint and add gin (not from a bathtub), then add lime juice, simple syrup, and soda into a shaker. Shake and strain then pour into a highball glass. Capone himself is known to have enjoyed the drink, but the history of the Southside cocktail is murky. According to an article published in Vice, the first glimmer of the Southside cocktail appears years before Prohibition in "Life" magazine in 1913 as part of a Gordon's gin promotion."

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