Riverdale Week: The South Side Fizz

It’s Riverdale Week here at Untwisted Vintage. This means we are gearing up for the season premiere, which is just one week away, and bringing you Riverdale inspired drinks and eats that are easy to throw together for your own Riverdale premier party.  We’re kicking things off with the South Side Fizz, a lemony cocktail that I found in my Old Mr. Boston De Luxe Official Bartender’s Guide. A vintage cocktail seems appropriate for a show with all those fun retro vibes.

For those who haven’t watched yet: Riverdale is based on the Archie comics, but set in the present. Yes, it’s a teen soap opera, but it is quite entertaining, albeit often ridiculous. It is dark, suspenseful, and quite humorous. Those who are long past their teen years will enjoy the cavalcade of former teen stars that play the parent types. Luke Perry and Molly Ringwald play Archie’s parents. There’s also Skeet Ulrich, Robin Givens, and plenty of other familiar faces. Retro elements are part of the look of the show, including the fashions, and the gang’s favorite hangout: Pop’s Chock’Lit Shoppe. I started watching Riverdale on an airplane this summer and quickly got hooked.  The first two seasons are on Netflix, so its easy to get caught up to Season Three, which premiers on the CW on October 10th.

Grab your guy’s Serpents jacket, because we are headed to the South Side.

Any good Riverdale party for adults needs a cocktail or two, so I’m starting off with one to honor the Southside. I was amused to find that Old Mr. Boston’s Guide had two South Side cocktails in the 1969 edition. I went with the South Side Fizz, a simple concoction of lemon juice, powdered sugar, gin, carbonated water, and mint. I used a lemon sparkling water (from Trader Joe’s) and poured it over ice. It’s a nice and simple cocktail that is refreshing and easy to drink. Although it doesn’t scream Southside Serpents, it’s a crowd friendly cocktail that will go well with any nibbles you serve. I’ll be sharing some simple eats inspired by Pop’s Chock’Lit Shoppe later this week.

Just say no to Jingle Jangle.