Fri
Jul 25 2008
05:40 pm
Mmmm, Mint Juleps!
By: R. Neal

We've got some mint escaped from the herb garden trying to take over a corner of the yard. Every time I mow over it and smell that fresh mint, it makes me want a Mint Julep. Nothin' better on a hot summer Friday afternoon. Here's my recipe...

1. Cut some fresh sprigs of mint from the yard. (You do have fresh mint growing in the yard, right? Oh, you're not from the South? That's OK, you can buy some at the grocery store.) You need about five or six sprigs or ten big leaves or so per Julep (fresh sprigs are best), I like more, some like less.

2. Get you some good Kentucky Bourbon. Makers Mark, or better yet Wild Turkey 101. You could use Woodford Reserve or even Booker's, but some consider that a waste of Good Bourbon, which should be enjoyed straight up or on the rocks with no flavorings or other embellishments. It must be Genuine Kentucky Bourbon, not Tennessee Whiskey like Jack Daniels or George Dickel such as you would normally mix with Coca-Cola and whatnot. (Note: If you opt for a single-batch barrel-proof Kentucky Bourbon, you are on your own and we are not responsible for the outcome.)

3. Put the mint leaves in the bottom of a mixing glass. Add just enough Bourbon to cover. Add a tablespoon or so of 10X white confectioner's sugar to taste. Mash up real good with a wooden spoon until you get a green paste going. This will be the "Julep" part of your Mint Julep.

4. Pour in about 4 oz. plus or minus of proper Bourbon, stir. Let it sit a spell while you do the next step.

5. Fill a tall, thin (as in narrow diameter) cocktail glass with crushed ice all the way to the top (unless you have one of those fancy silver julep cups in which case use it instead). Optionally, you can coat the rim with 10X confectioner's sugar first. The ladies seem to like this.

6. Strain the Mint Julep slowly over the ice into the glass. Don't worry if you get some crushed mint leaves in there, it will just be more festive and the green stuff in your teeth will give your spouse and/or guests something to giggle about. Top with a small sprig of mint.

7. Here's the important part. Using the handle of the wooden spoon, stir with a vigorous up and down and side to side motion until frost forms on the outside of the glass.

Sip through a straw. Enjoy! (Makes one Mint Julep.)

WARNING: These will sneak up on you. If you can drink more than one or two, you should update your will to donate your liver to medical science. Do not operate motor vehicles or heavy machinery. Not even lawn mowers or vacuum cleaners. Especially not power tools. Or ladders. Not safe for children, small pets, or women prone to the vapors. Void where prohibited. No warranty expressed or implied.
lovable liberal's picture

Traditional recipe

Submitted by lovable liberal on Fri, 2008/07/25 - 5:59pm.
  1. Muddle fresh mint with small amount of water.
  2. Add heaping teaspoon of confectioner's sugar.
  3. Set aside.
  4. Fill large tumbler with crushed ice.
  5. Set aside.
  6. Fill second large tumbler with bourbon.
  7. Drink it.
  8. You won't care about the heat or the mess. Who got the damn sugar out anyway?

There's also a drink of my invention, the Yankee Julep. I've never made it, but I got a couple of bartenders to when I was young. Basically squirt a little creme de menthe into bourbon on the rocks. Works but vastly inferior to the real thing.

By the way, I've tasted pretty much your recipe with old Lakemoor Hills friend JK, and it knocked us both on our butts. Good stuff. Hardly anyone needs two of 'em.

Liberty and justice for all.

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Aussiewebmaster's picture

Cuban Juelps

Submitted by Aussiewebmaster (not verified) on Sun, 2008/08/10 - 6:41pm.

I love mojitos that I recently heard described as Rum Mint Juleps which seems right - this is a decent version I use (link...)

WhitesCreek's picture

I would add video cameras to

Submitted by WhitesCreek on Sat, 2008/07/26 - 8:35am.

I would add video cameras to the list of machinery not to be operated during a julep haze.

Don't ask, I ain't tellin'. I'm just throwing that out there so's you can't say I didn't told you so.

Carole Borges's picture

That was a fabulous recipe!

Submitted by Carole Borges on Sat, 2008/07/26 - 9:04am.

A true Southern Classic served up with that delcious Southern wit I find so intoxicating. I got a buzz just reading it and had to wipe the drool from my mouth several times. Thanks for posting this.

Andy Axel's picture

With all those mint leaves

Submitted by Andy Axel on Sat, 2008/07/26 - 11:13am.

With all those mint leaves around, you should experiment with mojitos as well.

____________________________

"It's gettin' so a businessman can't expect no return from a fixed fight. Now, if you can't trust a fix, what can you trust?"

Andy Axel's picture

I'm quite fond of the

Submitted by Andy Axel on Sat, 2008/07/26 - 5:46pm.

I'm quite fond of the caipirinha these days myself. Cachaça is a fine spirit - rum distilled from raw cane juice rather than from sugar. I suppose that if you added muddled mint leaf, it would make a pretty good mojito.

And "gin martini" is a redundancy. A martini has no vodka in it. A martini does not contain kaluha, gummi bears, Snickers bars, cranberry juice, oranges, apple schnapps, or other such silliness.

(Froofy drinks served in martini glasses are shooters, not "-tinis.")

____________________________

"It's gettin' so a businessman can't expect no return from a fixed fight. Now, if you can't trust a fix, what can you trust?"

Andy Axel's picture

__________________________

Submitted by Andy Axel on Sat, 2008/07/26 - 7:40pm.

____________________________

"It's gettin' so a businessman can't expect no return from a fixed fight. Now, if you can't trust a fix, what can you trust?"

lovable liberal's picture

Not qualified to make the

Submitted by lovable liberal on Sat, 2008/07/26 - 8:01pm.

Not qualified to make the comparison, but my preferred martini is Bombay Sapphire straight from the freezer, olives, twist, or onions optional.

Liberty and justice for all.

My home

tennesseevaluesauthority's picture

You could use Woodford

Submitted by tennesseevalues... on Sat, 2008/07/26 - 12:29pm.

You could use Woodford Reserve or even Booker's, but some consider that a waste of Good Bourbon

Amen. "Eleanor" and I took a nice tour of the Woodford Reserve distillery a while back. Lovely stuff and not to be mixed with anything.

redmondkr's picture

A story about W. C. Fields

Submitted by redmondkr on Sat, 2008/07/26 - 7:32pm.

A story about W. C. Fields traveling with a friend somewhere in the South appeared in the book W. C. Fields and Me . He was drinking his version of a martini, that is a pull from a gin bottle followed by a sip of vermouth. He spotted a hitch hiker and told his friend to pull over shouting, "Where's your sense of charity?"

In a short while the guest announced that he was a man of the cloth and Fields was sinning in that automobile. He offered his sermon number four on "The Evils of Alcohol", a thing he rarely did for free.

Fields immediately told his driver to pull over and he physically threw the preacher out of the car into a ditch. He threw a bottle of gin to him and said, "There, that's my number three, 'How to Keep Warm in a Ditch'."

"Drive on."

Fields always said that he never drank anything stronger than gin before breakfast and we all know why he refused to drink water.


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redmondkr's picture

My neighbor has a world of

Submitted by redmondkr on Fri, 2008/08/15 - 1:42pm.

My neighbor has a world of lemon mint that has also escaped from the herb garden. Last week he found a recipe on the back of a Sure Jell box and made some lemon mint jelly.

That stuff was wonderful on a homemade buttermilk biscuit.


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