Login
This ice cold, bourbon forward, classic Mint Julep is the only one you need when the bugle sounds at this years Kentucky Derby!
**********************************
While the Mint Julep is a very old, classic drink, going back to the beginning of the 1800's, the term "Julep" is downright ancient dating back to about 600 AD. It was a word that essentially meant "Medicine", much like "Tonic" but there's obviously no medicine in the Mint Julep (or any julep for that matter) so what gives? Well, ancient people (And even not so ancient people) had a funny idea of what "Medicine" entailed and at least when possible it involved booze. The modern Julep of course was never intended as a curative, the name it seems is something of a joke. Similar to when my Grandmother would request her "Nerve Medicine" or her "Tonic" what she meant was "My bottle of blackberry brandy, no glass please".
The Mint Julep itself has a long history and has seen much evolution in it's standard preparation. Brandy, Cognac, Rye, Bourbon, even Rum have all been featured in it's silver beaker. Syrup or sugar, and which sugar? Bitters? Of course yes, all of these have at various times been considered standards in the Mint Julep. For what it's worth I prefer Bourbon in mine, made with a bit of demerara syrup and some bitters, and plenty of mint.
Like any drink with so much history, the Mint Julep has found itself regarded as a matter of religion among it's devotees. Many insist that you must not muddle the mint, or on the number of mint leaves to be utilized, on the amount of time the drink must rest, on the quality of ice, etc. Much like the Old Fashioned, a great many people have some very strong ideas about how it must be made.
Personally, I don't have time for that. I like my mint muddled here because I was the drink to be quite minty, but if you prefer not, that's no skin off my nose. The only things of true importance in my opinion here are that liqour, copious ice, and great quantities of mint are involved. My preparation is as follows:
Mint Julep
~.5 oz. -or- ~ 15 ml. Simple Syrup
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
A plethora of mint leaves
3 oz. -or- 90 ml. Bourbon
Muddle it
Fill beaker partway with crushed ice
Swizzle it
Top it up with ice
add a bouquet of several sprigs of mint
Enjoy.
Most of the tools and gear I use on the show can be found on my gear page at: bit.ly/H2DGear BUT, here's a couple of links that everyone is almost always asking me about:
Koriko Weighted Shaker Tins: amzn.to/2MvyOWs
Koriko Hawthorne Strainer: amzn.to/2IAZrHr
Leopold Jigger: amzn.to/2KsBu6B
Imbibe! By David Wondrich: amzn.to/2Kv1dLN
Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold: amzn.to/2N885jP
Slowly but surely, I'm starting a mailing list so that I'm not fully dependent on YT's algorithmized notifications system. If you'll sign up, I promise not to abuse your generosity, or sell your info to anyone. It's over on the blog right here:
bit.ly/H2DBlog
***********************************
twitter: bit.ly/H2DTwit
instagram: bit.ly/H2dIG
Blog: bit.ly/H2DBlog
Patreon: bit.ly/H2DPatreon
Gear: bit.ly/H2DGear
***********************************
Music by Glen Crytzer: bit.ly/2KjujSg
***********************************
Incredibly Awesome Patrons who make this show possible!
Aditya Choksi
Anthony Elias
Brandon Wilson
Dan Blackett
Dennis Groome
Harold Gonzales
Jacob Willemsma
Per Kackman Persson
Rachel Keys
Rob Hayward
Rob L
Rosemary H. Andrus
Ryan Wolfe
Shelby Benton
Trip Brennan
Whiskey Tribe
William Sender
**********************************
While the Mint Julep is a very old, classic drink, going back to the beginning of the 1800's, the term "Julep" is downright ancient dating back to about 600 AD. It was a word that essentially meant "Medicine", much like "Tonic" but there's obviously no medicine in the Mint Julep (or any julep for that matter) so what gives? Well, ancient people (And even not so ancient people) had a funny idea of what "Medicine" entailed and at least when possible it involved booze. The modern Julep of course was never intended as a curative, the name it seems is something of a joke. Similar to when my Grandmother would request her "Nerve Medicine" or her "Tonic" what she meant was "My bottle of blackberry brandy, no glass please".
The Mint Julep itself has a long history and has seen much evolution in it's standard preparation. Brandy, Cognac, Rye, Bourbon, even Rum have all been featured in it's silver beaker. Syrup or sugar, and which sugar? Bitters? Of course yes, all of these have at various times been considered standards in the Mint Julep. For what it's worth I prefer Bourbon in mine, made with a bit of demerara syrup and some bitters, and plenty of mint.
Like any drink with so much history, the Mint Julep has found itself regarded as a matter of religion among it's devotees. Many insist that you must not muddle the mint, or on the number of mint leaves to be utilized, on the amount of time the drink must rest, on the quality of ice, etc. Much like the Old Fashioned, a great many people have some very strong ideas about how it must be made.
Personally, I don't have time for that. I like my mint muddled here because I was the drink to be quite minty, but if you prefer not, that's no skin off my nose. The only things of true importance in my opinion here are that liqour, copious ice, and great quantities of mint are involved. My preparation is as follows:
Mint Julep
~.5 oz. -or- ~ 15 ml. Simple Syrup
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
A plethora of mint leaves
3 oz. -or- 90 ml. Bourbon
Muddle it
Fill beaker partway with crushed ice
Swizzle it
Top it up with ice
add a bouquet of several sprigs of mint
Enjoy.
Most of the tools and gear I use on the show can be found on my gear page at: bit.ly/H2DGear BUT, here's a couple of links that everyone is almost always asking me about:
Koriko Weighted Shaker Tins: amzn.to/2MvyOWs
Koriko Hawthorne Strainer: amzn.to/2IAZrHr
Leopold Jigger: amzn.to/2KsBu6B
Imbibe! By David Wondrich: amzn.to/2Kv1dLN
Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold: amzn.to/2N885jP
Slowly but surely, I'm starting a mailing list so that I'm not fully dependent on YT's algorithmized notifications system. If you'll sign up, I promise not to abuse your generosity, or sell your info to anyone. It's over on the blog right here:
bit.ly/H2DBlog
***********************************
twitter: bit.ly/H2DTwit
instagram: bit.ly/H2dIG
Blog: bit.ly/H2DBlog
Patreon: bit.ly/H2DPatreon
Gear: bit.ly/H2DGear
***********************************
Music by Glen Crytzer: bit.ly/2KjujSg
***********************************
Incredibly Awesome Patrons who make this show possible!
Aditya Choksi
Anthony Elias
Brandon Wilson
Dan Blackett
Dennis Groome
Harold Gonzales
Jacob Willemsma
Per Kackman Persson
Rachel Keys
Rob Hayward
Rob L
Rosemary H. Andrus
Ryan Wolfe
Shelby Benton
Trip Brennan
Whiskey Tribe
William Sender