The mint julep is a delicious, refreshing drink commonly associated with the American South, and specifically the Kentucky Derby. As Derby Day is just days away, I thought it'd be appropriate to toss out a special "Classic Cocktails" installment on the mint julep. What follows is my version -- julep recipes are notoriously controversial, particularly on the point of "to muddle or not to muddle". However, in general, the julep consists of four ingredients: Kentucky bourbon, sugar, mint, and water. The "official" Kentucky Derby version is made with Early Times Bourbon, but the top-shelf variety offered at Churchill Downs over the past few years has consisted of Woodford Reserve Bourbon (served in an elaborate gold and silver cup). This is what I'll be using tonight.
The traditional Julep cup is either silver or pewter -- the idea that the metal cup keeps the drink cold and minimizes heat transfer to the drink when held only by the top and bottom rims. Today, they're often served in more standard bar glassware, but I happen to have a julep glass I like very much, and so although I'm a Hoosier and don't own a seersucker suit, I can assume the role of a proper Kentucky gentleman for a brief moment as I sip my julep.
So, without any further adieu, let's gather some ingredients:
We have fresh mint, bourbon, mint syrup (more on this in a moment), ice, and the aforementioned cup.
The way I like to make my juleps does not involve muddling. Some recipes call for lightly brusing the mint in the bottom of the glass, however I prefer a different approach: make up a batch of simple syrup and infuse your mint into it. I get best results by letting this sit overnight (which is why I don't have detailed pictures for this part of the process, but in a nutshell)
You don't have to strain out the mint if you're going to use the syrup within a week or so.
Now, to crush some ice. I like using bagged ice, especially for juleps. The water quality is usually better than what I get at home, and as my landlord has yet to install the fridges with the built-in ice-crushers that I keep requesting I have to improvise, and cubed ice really doesn't work as well as bagged when "manually" crushing. I put about a cup of ice into a ziploc bag, seal it up, and smash it repeatedly with a hammer.
I'm sure they have a better way of going about this at Churchill Downs.
Now dump your crushed ice into your julep glass, all the way to the top:
See the frost already beginning to form on the outside?
Now -- slowly pour only 1 tbsp (about .5oz) of mint syrup directly over the middle of the ice pile. Remember: it's really easy to over-sweeten this drink. Don't overdo it on the syrup.
Now quickly, pour 2oz of bourbon over the middle of the ice. Woodford Reserve makes a special bottle art for each years' Kentucky Derby. Very fetching, but not so much as to not want to empty it.
Pop in a straw and give it a quick stir.
And garnish with a mint sprig. What you'll have should look a lil' somethin' like this:
This is a truly satisfying drink, and remarkably easy to make. There's definitely some nuance -- some julep devotees insist on no mint added to the drink, and to only take in the mint through the nose as you sip around the garnish. Others prefer lightly muddling some mint with syrup. You could spend a lifetime trying all the "secret family recipes" out there. But this is what works for me, and it's what I'll be drinking on Saturday.
The traditional Julep cup is either silver or pewter -- the idea that the metal cup keeps the drink cold and minimizes heat transfer to the drink when held only by the top and bottom rims. Today, they're often served in more standard bar glassware, but I happen to have a julep glass I like very much, and so although I'm a Hoosier and don't own a seersucker suit, I can assume the role of a proper Kentucky gentleman for a brief moment as I sip my julep.
So, without any further adieu, let's gather some ingredients:
We have fresh mint, bourbon, mint syrup (more on this in a moment), ice, and the aforementioned cup.
The way I like to make my juleps does not involve muddling. Some recipes call for lightly brusing the mint in the bottom of the glass, however I prefer a different approach: make up a batch of simple syrup and infuse your mint into it. I get best results by letting this sit overnight (which is why I don't have detailed pictures for this part of the process, but in a nutshell)
- Boil 8oz (1 cup) of purified H2O
- Stir in 1 dry cup of granulated sugar until dissolved. Use only the 1:1 ratio for a julep... it's really easy to over-sweeten this drink.
- Decant into a bottle
- Drop in 4-6 sprigs of mint, and place in the refrigerator overnight, agitating lightly whenever you open the fridge for something else
You don't have to strain out the mint if you're going to use the syrup within a week or so.
Now, to crush some ice. I like using bagged ice, especially for juleps. The water quality is usually better than what I get at home, and as my landlord has yet to install the fridges with the built-in ice-crushers that I keep requesting I have to improvise, and cubed ice really doesn't work as well as bagged when "manually" crushing. I put about a cup of ice into a ziploc bag, seal it up, and smash it repeatedly with a hammer.
I'm sure they have a better way of going about this at Churchill Downs.
Now dump your crushed ice into your julep glass, all the way to the top:
See the frost already beginning to form on the outside?
Now -- slowly pour only 1 tbsp (about .5oz) of mint syrup directly over the middle of the ice pile. Remember: it's really easy to over-sweeten this drink. Don't overdo it on the syrup.
Now quickly, pour 2oz of bourbon over the middle of the ice. Woodford Reserve makes a special bottle art for each years' Kentucky Derby. Very fetching, but not so much as to not want to empty it.
Pop in a straw and give it a quick stir.
And garnish with a mint sprig. What you'll have should look a lil' somethin' like this:
This is a truly satisfying drink, and remarkably easy to make. There's definitely some nuance -- some julep devotees insist on no mint added to the drink, and to only take in the mint through the nose as you sip around the garnish. Others prefer lightly muddling some mint with syrup. You could spend a lifetime trying all the "secret family recipes" out there. But this is what works for me, and it's what I'll be drinking on Saturday.
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