#Mint julep recipes how to#
#Mint julep recipes full#

How to prepare and enjoy the complicated cocktail, from Slate. Even this California girl knows this much to be true.Īdditional recourses: How Sweet Eats makes a lovely twist on the classic: Pineapple Mint Juleps Mint Juleps are serious business. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of bourbon. Garnish your mint julep with the 5th mint leaf.

Do it slowly to allow time for the mint to be extracted. Heat it to a boil over high heat and boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Bourbon whiskey 2 teaspoons water 5 Mint leaves Instructions In a highball or similar glass, muddle the sugar, water, and 4 of the mint leaves together. Combine the sugar, water, and 3 sprigs of mint in a small saucepan on the stove. A sprig of mint as giant as your hat or as dapper as your bow tie. 1 teaspoon confection sugar can sub with ¼ oz. How to Make Mint Juleps Muddle up some mint in a sturdy glass. I also think a rye might be nice! Select what makes you happy.Ī paper straw. My Julep bourbons of choice: Bulleit, Jack Daniels (which isn’t bourbon, but whiskey), Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace, and Knob Creek. Seriously.īourbon on top of the ice, on top of the mint simple syrup. I had no idea how fast ice melts in the South. Count on it!Ī bit of mint simple syrup in the bottom of each tumbler. I’ll be crushing ice all summer thanks to this ice crushing dream machine. Ice becomes a major part of Mint Juleps because the cocktail has so few ingredients: mint simple syrup, bourbon, and ice.Ĭrushed ice all the way. With all the bourbon and all the mint, here we are… OFF TO THE RACES!

#Mint julep recipes full#

These floral enamel tumblers from MacKenzie Childs are full of charm. This… coming from the girl from California. I have friends so serious about the Kentucky Derby, they bring their very own Julep Cups to Derby parties (ahem Ms. First we’re really going to need all of the bourbon.Īdorning our bourbon is also pretty important. A Derby Pie (totally in our near future) is above and beyond, and totally major.Īll of the bourbon, though. Fried chicken will keep the masses contented. Perfect for a Kentucky Derby party, the classic mint julep requires you to muddle about ten mint leaves with simple syrup and bourbon before mixing and. A television that plays the races is pretty essential. This… coming from the California girl (who really likes bourbon).Ī big hat is important. With those two staples… everything else will fall into place.

In my mind, throwing the best Derby Party has everything to do with buying all of the mint and all of the bourbon. (Check out Daniel's article on julep variations for a few recipes to try along with the classic.Let’s throw the best Kentucky Derby Party around! This… coming from a California girl curiously living in the Deep South. Add mint leaves to a large pitcher crush leaves with a wooden spoon or cocktail muddler to release the oils and aromas. Still others adorn the drink with the standard mint bouquet, along with sticks of pineapple and slices of orange. Some minimalistic styles call for swabbing the glass with mint and then discarding it, while others leave the mint in the glass. Juleps have long been made with everything from cognac and rum to rye whiskey and bourbon, and many times with combinations of these spirits. Don't get too caught up in the rigidity of what passes for tradition.And keep the ice as cold as you can -a slushy julep is a sad julep. You can use a kitchen ice crusher to get there, but you can also fold several ice cubes up in a clean kitchen towel, or in a purpose-built Lewis bag, and whale away at it with a mallet or rolling pin until the ice is pulverized. You want the ice to be finely crushed, almost to a powder, but with some larger, pebble-sized pieces in the mix. (Though you can speed up the process by premixing your sugar and water over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, then cooling before use.) The sweetened, mint-flavored whiskey you see at this time of year just isn't going to get you the same results as going with fresh. You wouldn't use Velveeta when making a Mornay sauce, would you? Then don't use cheap shortcuts with your julep. Instead, gently tap at the mint to release the aromatic oils, and swab the sides of the glass with the mint leaves to better disperse the flavor. Smashing it vigorously with a muddler or wooden spoon will not only create a messy julep that will leave bits of mint stuck in your teeth, but will release the bitter flavors in the mint leaf. Take the term bruise to heart when approaching the mint.