The Mint Julep: A Not So Southern, Southern Cocktail
The Mint Julep is a family of drinks in which the main ingredients are mint, sugar and crushed ice along with your favorite alcohol. Here in the south, bourbon is the most common spirit used; but throughout the drink’s storied history any, and I mean any, type of alcohol has sufficed. The word julep is derived from the Persian word gulab and the Arab word julab, both translate to “rosewater”.
Little is known how the rosewater, used for medicinal purposes in days of old, made its way into a potent cocktail. One of the first references of the “juleb” was in the late 1700s. The Mint Juleb got its first mention in print in the John Davis 1803 book Travels of Four and a Half Years in the United States of America. Here in the US, bourbon became the most widely used spirit for mint juleps, due to the fact that poor farmers could not afford imported alcohols, such as rum or cognac. As such, this would be an indication of one’s social status.
In 1938, the mint julep was declared the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. Not surprising, considering nowadays attendants serve an estimated 120,000 mint juleps over a two-day racing card. What is surprising, there is no official documentation of this happening; it just came to be.
The true construction of a mint julep involves ritual, and it is always important to understand you will get the best results with fresh ingredients. The next thing that any serious self-respecting mint julep drinker will tell you is always serve in a silver or pewter julep cup. Personally, I feel that one is all about tradition, but note most will say a difference can be perceived. The mixing is all about ensuring you extract the right amount of oils from the mint by gently muddling it with the sugar before adding crushed ice. This is achieved by muddling the mint leaves and simple syrup gently in the bottom of the serving cup. The trick is not to pulverize the mixture but to only release the mint oils. To be sure you are doing this correctly, give a quick smell after a couple of gentle twists of the muddler. When you smell the fresh mint, you’re there. What you don’t want to smell is that grassy smell. That means you’ve gotten too rough with the muddling and released the bitter tannins. Once this is completed correctly, load in your crushed or shaved ice. Then pour your whiskey, or preferred spirit, through the ice. This process pulls the mint and sugar through the ice. Now add a little more ice on top to create a slight mound and use that for the garnish of your choice. Usually more mint, but you don’t have to stop there. You can garnish with many other fruits, such as strawberries or blueberries. Experiment.
While summer officially begins June 21, the kick-off day for the summery julep is Kentucky Derby Day, which was May 4. We are well into julep season, so break out the muddler and julep glasses, pick a little fresh mint from your (or your neighbor’s) garden, grab your favorite spirit, and enjoy this summer treat.
by Mat Cornett