The summer season is upon us. And I know I always say this, but summertime = cocktail time! It’s time to relax, breathe in the sweet night air, watch the fireflies and the sun set against the hills. It's time to tend the garden and find some ingredients for our lovely cocktails. And I am happy to report that my garden is finally growing! Mostly growing unassisted, but growing nonetheless. I have many perennials that come up on their own and I am always thankful when they do. I appreciate anything that can self-manage.
Mint is one of those plants that can grow with little to no help. It is always one of the first ones to push their eager leaves through the wet spring soil. And if you have ever planted mint, I am sure you know that mint likes to spread itself. It sends its runners (roots) through the ground causing the mint pop up in random places. I welcome this aggressive behavior because I have some spare spots in the garden to fill. The mint also has had a predator for many years: the four lined bug. It's a battle to eradicate the bug, so I let the mint have its way in the spring and early summer, because by late summer, when the mint gets leggy and less full by its nature, I tend to stop spraying my soap spray and the bugs end up doing a lot of damage. So mint-go forth! Spread your runners as far as they can run.
Now that we have established I have a lot of mint (and mostly only mint), what cocktail can be made? A mint julep of course! Oh, mint julep, how I love thee… your simplicity, your minty loveliness.
When I first made a mint julep, I thought something was missing. “That’s it?” I thought to myself. Followed by: “That’s essentially straight bourbon”… “They drink these during the day?”… “Maybe I should move to the south”. But all kidding aside, the drink only has five elements. 1) The Cup, 2) Bourbon, 3) Mint, 4) Ice and 5) Sugar. It doesn’t get any easier or fresher tasting. So grab a glass and mix up this classic for a sultry summer night. You won’t be disappointed. Enjoy.
A note on the cup:
The most traditional way to serve a mint julep is in a silver mint julep cup. Unless you have a set in your family, you will have to put up a small fortune to buy some. I looked in vain for some vintage silver cups and I did find some, but they were just too expensive. There are some nice pewter cups, but they were pricey too. And then I thought about the stainless steel cups we already have and figured those would work out just as well and they did! They look like a modern take on the classic mint julep cup. I bought mine on amazon- but you may find them being offered in other places.
MINT JULEP
makes 1 cocktail
2 oz bourbon
½ - 1 teaspoon sugar
sprigs of mint
crushed ice
Muddle mint and sugar on the bottom of a glass.
You want to crush the mint, but try not to break the mint.
Add bourbon and then crushed ice. (You can use regular ice, but crushed ice is the traditional way to serve a Mint Julep. If you can’t buy any, just put some ice in a ziplock bag and whack it with a rolling pin. In a minute you will have some crushed ice.)
Stir.
Add some mint as a garnish.
Enjoy under the cool shade of a tree.
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