South Slope

About the South Slope

The South Slope is a shaken, citrus bright cocktail that pairs Timber Creek Florida Gin with Aperol, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice, and orange curacao, finished with a lemon twist in a chilled coupe. It sits somewhere between a classic sour and a bittersweet aperitif, with the gin acting as the structural spine underneath the layers of orange and citrus. Aperol brings its familiar bitter orange and rhubarb notes, Lillet Blanc adds a soft floral sweetness, and the orange curacao ties the two together with a rounder, more concentrated citrus character. Timber Creek’s Florida Gin is distilled grain-to-glass in Crestview with a clean, slightly sweet grain base that keeps the drink from leaning too bitter or too candied; a heavier, more juniper dominant gin would compete with the Aperol instead of supporting it.

Build the South Slope by shaking all five ingredients hard with ice to fully integrate the citrus and the Aperol’s bitterness, then strain into a chilled coupe glass. Express a lemon twist over the top before dropping it in, depending on how much citrus oil you want up front. The drink should look pale orange and arrive well chilled with a light foam cap from the shake. Serve it as a pre dinner sipper alongside steak bites, smoked almonds, or aged cheddar; the bitterness of the Aperol cuts nicely through rich, salty snacks like bacon bites or roasted pecans, making this a solid choice for a small gathering.

Timing the shake matters here too: a shorter, harder shake keeps the drink from over-diluting, which would blunt the Aperol’s bitterness and make the whole cocktail taste thinner than intended, so aim for roughly ten to twelve seconds of vigorous shaking before straining. Pace yourself with the South Slope and other Aperol forward cocktails, since their bright, easy drinking style can make it easy to lose track of how much you have had.

The South Slope is a shaken, citrus bright cocktail that pairs Timber Creek Florida Gin with Aperol, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice, and orange curacao, finished with a lemon twist in a chilled coupe. It sits somewhere between a classic sour and a bittersweet aperitif, with the gin acting as the structural spine underneath the layers of orange and citrus. Aperol brings its familiar bitter orange and rhubarb notes, Lillet Blanc adds a soft floral sweetness, and the orange curacao ties the two together with a rounder, more concentrated citrus character. Timber Creek’s Florida Gin is distilled grain-to-glass in Crestview with a clean, slightly sweet grain base that keeps the drink from leaning too bitter or too candied; a heavier, more juniper dominant gin would compete with the Aperol instead of supporting it.

Build the South Slope by shaking all five ingredients hard with ice to fully integrate the citrus and the Aperol’s bitterness, then strain into a chilled coupe glass. Express a lemon twist over the top before dropping it in, depending on how much citrus oil you want up front. The drink should look pale orange and arrive well chilled with a light foam cap from the shake. Serve it as a pre dinner sipper alongside steak bites, smoked almonds, or aged cheddar; the bitterness of the Aperol cuts nicely through rich, salty snacks like bacon bites or roasted pecans, making this a solid choice for a small gathering.

Timing the shake matters here too: a shorter, harder shake keeps the drink from over-diluting, which would blunt the Aperol’s bitterness and make the whole cocktail taste thinner than intended, so aim for roughly ten to twelve seconds of vigorous shaking before straining. Pace yourself with the South Slope and other Aperol forward cocktails, since their bright, easy drinking style can make it easy to lose track of how much you have had.