Sugar-Free Simple Syrup Southside Gin Cocktail Recipe

Keto Low-Carb Sugar-Free Simple Syrup Southside Gin Cocktail recipe is the best quick and easy, skinny drink recipe that is keto-friendly and approved. Grab your alcohol, fresh lemon, fresh mint, and some perfectly frosted glasses! This post includes an easy recipe for how to make sugar-free simple syrup for this delicious keto summer cocktail.

This summer cocktail recipe is so easy, delicious, and absolutely refreshing.  Whether you like the New York or the Chicago version, either way, you will LOVE this sugar-free cocktail recipe.

There is nothing better than sitting with the sun hitting your face and sipping on a perfectly cold, not-too-sweet, refreshing cocktail.

And this is one such cocktail!

Only a couple of ingredients and boy is this cocktail is so delicious!  Simplicity at its best!!!

Gin, lemon (or lime), and mint combined with the EASIEST EVER sugar-free simple syrup is all that is needed to remake this South Side cocktail into a keto-friendly drink.

South Side Cocktail

According to Wikipedia, its origins are subject to speculation. It has been proposed that it gets its name from either the South Side district of the city of Chicago, Illinois or from the Southside Sportsmen's Club on Long Island.^[1]

The drink may have been the preferred beverage of Al Capone, whose gang dominated Chicago's South Side.^[2] The gin imported by Capone's rivals on the North Side of Chicago was smooth, and usually consumed with ginger ale.^[2] However, the gin consumed by Al Capone's gang had a rougher finish and required more sweeteners to make it palatable.^[2] Thus the South Side was born.^[2]

The recipe can be traced back to at least 1916, when it appeared in Huge Enslinn’s book “Recipes for Mixed Drinks” as the South Side Fizz. His version called for gin, lemon and lime juices, sugar, mint and club soda.

Lose the bubbles and cull one of the citrus fruits, and you get the South Side as we know it today.

Chicago vs. New York - What's the difference?

The fundamental ingredients for both recipes for a South Side are the same - gin, mint leaves and simple syrup.  Where the difference lies is whether you use lemon or lime.

According to Wikipedia, the New York Club called "21 Club" uses lemon juice for their South Side recipe.

In Chicago, lime juice is used instead and sometimes club soda is added to make this cocktail into a "South Side Fizz".

Sugar-Free Simple Syrup

Most cocktails require simple syrup but at over 14 grams of carbs (all of which comes from sugar) for only 1 oz of simple syrup, it is impossible to have a cocktail and stay in ketosis.

But did you know that it is REALLY easy to make homemade sugar-free simple syrup?

By simply combining water and allulose and bringing it to a boil, you can make a sugar-free simple syrup ready for all your summer cocktail recipes!

For your basic simple syrup recipe, you only need two ingredients: water and sugar. The most common ratio for simple syrup is equal parts water to sugar. This doesn’t mean that you couldn’t make the syrup richer by using more sugar or leaner by using less sugar.

Making Sugar-Free Simple Syrup

Only 3 steps for making sugar-free simple syrup:

• Add water and sweetener to a saucepan over medium-high heat
• Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved
• Whisk in ⅛ teaspoon of xanthan gum
• Cool then store in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 4 weeks

Sweetener Choices

You really only have 2 choices:

ALLULOSE

• A relatively new sweetener that is naturally found in wheat, figs, and raisins.
• Created by converting fructose from corn.
• About 70% as sweet as table sugar.
• Has a similar taste and texture as sugar, but without the calories and carbs.
• Unlike other sweeteners, allulose resists fermentation by your gut bacteria which decreases the chances of experiencing digestive issues such as bloating and gas.
• For people with diabetes or blood sugar issues, allulose does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels.
• Some research shows a link between regulating blood sugar and insulin levels, preventing obesity, decreased risk of chronic disease, and some anti-inflammatory properties.
• 0.2-0.4 calories per gram
• Cost: $0.69 per ounce
• Best for all types of baking including puddings and custards as it does not crystallize when cooled.
• My favourite brands of allulose is actually made by Splenda
• Check out my easy Marshmallow Recipe for an Allulose-based recipe

BOCHA SWEET

• A new sweetener to the market made from an extract of squash in Japan known as kabocha.
• Kobocha has been a superfood in the Japanese diet for centuries.
•  It has the same taste as table sugar
•  There is no aftertaste unlike other sweeteners
•  No digestive issues linked to this sweetener.
•  The companies claim that their competitors like erythritol, allulose, and stevia are derived from cheaper sources like waste corn material, which therefore explains the higher cost for Bocha Sweet.
• Some research shows a link between regulating blood sugar and insulin levels, preventing obesity, decreased risk of chronic disease, and some anti-inflammatory properties.
• 0 calories per gram
• Cost: $1.00 per ounce (if you buy it in bulk)
• Best for all types of baking including puddings and custards as it does not crystallize when cooled.
• The only brand on the market that I know of is BochaSweet and you can get it on Amazon

How to store simple syrup:

Store simple syrup in an airtight container, in the fridge, until ready to use. Basic simple syrup will last up to 4 weeks, however, flavored simple syrups should be used within two weeks.

Making flavoured simple syrup:

Combine equal parts sugar and water then add citrus zest. Bring everything to a simmer. As the water simmers, the sugar will dissolve and the oils and flavour of the zest will seep out, making a citrus-flavoured simple syrup. A similar process works with spices — think whole cloves, star anise, and cinnamon. You can also make the basic recipe, let it cool, and store the syrup with fresh herbs added. Fresh rosemary or mint is delicious. Or try a slice of fresh ginger.

Tips and Tricks for Sugar-Free Cocktails:

• make sure that you make your sugar-free simple syrup ahead of time so that it has time to cool completely
• although you don't have to add xanthan gum to the sugar-free simple syrup, the xanthan gum does add the necessary "thickness" that makes it more like a "syrup"
• this makes only 1 drink so double or triple the recipe depending on how many people you are serving
• feel free to make a combination of lemon and lime by using a half ounce of each
• make sure that your glasses are very clean - I absolutely LOVE the Norwex cloth my sister gave me.  Norwex is an awesome environmentally friendly company and you can actually find my FAVOURITE glass cloth on Amazon!
• Use good quality gin - we LOVE Hendrick's and although it is more expensive than Bombay Sapphire, it worth the extra money!

If you like this skinny cocktail recipe, you may also enjoy:

Easy Watermelon Cranberry Freedom  Cocktail

How to Make Almost Sugar-Free Kombucha

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