Ingredients

  • 3 slicesCucumber
  • 5Mint leaves
  • 2 ozLondon dry gin
  • ¾ ozFresh lime juice
  • ¾ ozSimple syrup

🔧 Tools

shakermuddlerstrainerjigger

Instructions

  1. Muddle cucumber slices and mint leaves in a shaker.
  2. Add gin, lime juice, simple syrup, and ice.
  3. Shake vigorously for 12-15 seconds.
  4. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.
  5. Garnish with a cucumber slice and mint sprig.

📜 History

The Eastside emerged in the early 2000s cocktail scene, likely at multiple bars exploring fresh ingredient cocktails simultaneously. The drink combines gin with muddled cucumber and mint, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup—essentially a South Side (a Prohibition-era gin cocktail with mint) enhanced with cucumber's cooling freshness. The Eastside became hugely popular during the craft cocktail revival and helped establish cucumber as a standard cocktail ingredient. Its light, refreshing character makes it particularly popular during summer months. The cocktail demonstrates how simple fresh ingredients can create drinks that taste far more complex than their components suggest.

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