Over the weekend I stopped by Hawksworth Restaurant to celebrate a friends birthday. As I was there and had finished drinking my extra dirty vodka martini with extra olives, I was given a rose-colored, shaved ice concoction served in a short silver cup, topped with a mint sprig. I was told it was a Mint Julep. Sounds good, right? Wrong. As I took a big sip, I felt the burning sensation run into my mouth, down my throat, through my nose and into both my brain and stomach. Two words - straight Bourbon [a type of American whiskey]. A Mint Julep is definitely not a girls drink! This 'official drink of the Kentucky Derby' is made of Bourbon over ice with muddled mint leaves and sugar. [I think the bartender forgot the sugar in my case.] Although I wasn't a fan of the drink, I still managed to get it down [why waste good alcohol]. This is unequivocally a man's drink.
If you would like to make your own Mint Julep, here is how:
Ingredients:
- 4 fresh mint sprigs
- 2.5 oz Bourbon whiskey
- 1 tsp powdered sugar
- crushed ice
Preparation:
Place the mint and sugar into a julep cup. Muddle well to disolve the sugar and to release the oil and aroma of the mint. Add the Bourbon. Fill with crushed ice and stir well until the glass becomes frosty. Garnish with a mint sprig.
