Combining the sharp taste of Bourbon with the fragrant refreshing taste of mint, the Mint Julep is a drink that many of you whiskey lovers out there should be keen to try.
The word “Julep” typically means a drink that is sweet and one that is practically used as a way to help people take medicine. The words roots come from the Spanish term meaning “Rosewater” . English Juleps appose to American Mint Juleps were primarily medicinal, had little alcohol in them and contained Camphor.
The Mint Julep originates from the Southern United States and has it is first mention in 1770 in a satirical play by Robert Munford which included a drunkard character named “Mr Julep”. In this play the Julep is described as a concoction “which doctors’ storm at and which some adore. Further proof of the Mint Julep being a medical drink can be seen in a quote in 1784s medical communications, “sickness at the stomach, with frequent retching, and, at times, a difficulty of swallowing. I then prescribed her an emetic, some opening powders, and a mint julep”.
Throughout American history since it was founded, the Mint Julep has changed from time to time seeing its recipe be played about with and changed. In the 1862 edition of Bar-Tenders Guide: How to Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant's Companion by Jerry Thomas includes five recipes for the mint julep, including the use of Gin, Brandy , Cognac , whiskey, and sparkling Moselle. More recently the Bourbon based Mint Juleps have gone back to being the most popular over Gin based ones.
So, this drink has a lot of deep-rooted history and is fairly adaptable (which is a good thing if you like experimenting with drinks). I will be honest Im not a huge fan of Bourbon, but I can see the appeal in this drink in the way the soft mint flavour matches up with the sharp taste of the Bourbon. So for those who are in the same boat as me, you can try out the other variations mentioned. I tried a Gin based Mint Julep and it was significantly better than the Bourbon based one (my personal taste of course). But for now, here is how to make the original Mint Julep.
Ingredients
2 1/2 oz. (75ml) Bourbon
2 Sugar Cubes or 10 ml of Sugar syrup
4-5 mint leaves
Garnish: A mint spring
Preparation
Place your mint leaves and sugar cubes (or syrup) in an old-fashioned glass and muddle gently together to get the oils out of the leaves.
Add your bourbon to the glass.
Fill the glass well with crushed iced and stir till the glass is ice cold.
Garnish with a mint spring.
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