A Eastside combines aviation gin, cucumber, and water in a fresh, minty, citrusy and lightly sweet smash-style cocktail. Make one with the recipe below; when you need a full service rather than a single glass, the keg build scales the same idea without scaling the prep.
How to make a Eastside
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 oz Aviation Gin
- 1/2 oz Cucumber Syrup
- 1/4 oz Water
- 3/4 oz fresh lime juice
- 8 fresh mint leaves
- 2 oz club soda
Method
- Add the measured still ingredients, lime juice and mint to a shaker. Press the mint once or twice; do not grind it.
- Fill with ice and shake for 10–12 seconds.
- Strain over fresh ice in a highball glass, top with club soda and stir once.
- Garnish with a slapped mint sprig and a lime wheel.
- Taste
- fresh, minty, citrusy and lightly sweet
- Glassware
- Highball glass
- Garnish
- Mint sprig and lime wheel
Conventional recipe adapted from the Draftology keg specification by Craft Standard.
Substitutions
- No cucumber syrup? Replace it with another fruit syrup at the same measure, or make a quick syrup from the matching fresh fruit.
- Use lemon in place of lime for a softer smash, or ginger ale in place of soda for extra sweetness and spice.
Make a pitcher
- 10 oz Aviation Gin
- 4 oz Cucumber Syrup
- 2 oz Water
- 6 oz fresh lime juice
- 64 fresh mint leaves
- 16 oz (2 cups) club soda
For a pitcher of eight, multiply every still ingredient by eight and chill the mix before service. Add soda, ginger beer or any other sparkling ingredient to each glass just before serving; batching carbonation early makes the drink go flat.
Want to make it at scale?
Making one Eastside is straightforward. Making a full service means measuring, chilling and repeating that spec all night. The Craft Standard Mojito keg keeps the same flavor direction, but moves the prep into one keg build so every serve comes from the tap.
See the Mojito keg →The Craft Standard keg build
Start with one Mojito 30L Keg, then add the ingredients below through the Keg Spiker and shake well before connecting the keg.
Recipe styles
Put the Eastside on tap.
See the Mojito keg behind this build, including formats, setup and ordering details.
See the Mojito keg →Frequently asked
What is in a Eastside?
1 1/4 oz Aviation Gin, 1/2 oz Cucumber Syrup, 1/4 oz Water, 3/4 oz fresh lime juice, 8 fresh mint leaves, 2 oz club soda.
Can I make a batch of Eastside?
For a pitcher of eight, multiply every still ingredient by eight and chill the mix before service. Add soda, ginger beer or any other sparkling ingredient to each glass just before serving; batching carbonation early makes the drink go flat.
How do I serve Eastside on tap?
Use the Craft Standard Mojito base, add the measured keg ingredients, shake the keg after filling, then connect it to a standard Sankey D coupler.