The Periodic Table of Cocktails by Emma Stokes

Author:Emma Stokes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abrams
Published: 2017-09-12T04:00:00+00:00

KENTUCKY MINT JULEP

The “official” cocktail of Derby Day in Kentucky, the Mint Julep has become an iconic drink due to the sheer number of them served on that day (some estimates put it at more than 100,000 each year) and the traditional silver or pewter cups they are made in. It is a refreshing drink for a hot day, due to the use of mint and crushed ice, but be under no illusions: A julep is a strong drink that packs a punch—it’s basically bourbon over crushed ice with a couple of extras. The reason it’s served over crushed ice is not only to chill the drink, but also because the cocktail should slowly dilute as you’re drinking it.

The Churchill Downs clubhouse, home of the Kentucky Derby, had been making juleps for a number of years before the management decided to give it a makeover in 1939. It was a simple cocktail to offer due to an abundance of mint growing nearby and the local bourbon available quite literally by the barrel load. However, in 1939 when the management decided to serve the juleps in commemorative cups, the julep became both easily recognized and unique in this serve, starting it on the road to becoming the iconic classic cocktail it is today.

The julep cup (or glass tumbler, if you don’t have access to one) should be well chilled prior to use, which is best done by placing it in the freezer for a few hours.

This prevents the crushed or cracked ice from melting too quickly. To crush the ice, wrap it in a clean, thick towel (or get your hands on a Lewis Ice Bag, which has reinforced stitched sides) and hammer with a muddler, rolling pin, or joiner’s mallet until you have small chunks. Others prefer to crack the ice, as they believe the drink benefits from slightly larger chunks of ice. To do this, put a cube of ice in the palm of your hand and tap firmly with the back of a spoon. This method can be a little tricky and more time-consuming, so if I’m making a batch I tend to go with crushed by way of hammering the ice in a Lewis bag. Just be careful not to overly crush the ice; otherwise you end up with “snow” that will melt far too quickly, overdiluting your drink.

There are many variations on the julep, which include the use of just about every other spirit, from rye whiskey to gin, brandy, calvados, whiskey, cognac, and even rum. However, the true Kentucky Mint Julep should only be made with bourbon.

A simple mix of just three ingredients, the key is to balance the sweetness from the sugar syrup with the inherent sweetness of the bourbon. Do not oversweeten the mixture. The beauty of building the drink is that you can add more of any ingredient as you’re making it, tasting as you go, so be cautious about the amount of sugar syrup you add at first. You can always add more, but trying to pull the balance back from an overly sweetened julep is much more difficult.

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