The Mint Julep

[ThinkingBartender]

I think the danger with making blended drinks with Bourbon would be letting it get too watery. I personally do not enjoy watered-down bourbon (unless it started at barrel-proof or somesuch).

-Andy

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Even with 3 ounces of Bourbon? We are talking about a Julep here.

[jsmeeker]

Hmm.. Ok.  That's interesting.  After doing some reading, (here and elsewhere)  it seems as if lots of recipes suggest just that. Make a paste.  So, that's what I did.  I didn't have crushed ice at home (just the standard ice maker ice), so I used what I had.

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Strange. I haven't found any references to muddling mint into a paste on the internet. Perhaps you are assuming that "muddling" a cocktail is the same thing as using a pestle and mortar, whereby you reduce the ingredients into a paste. This exposes the flaw in most recipes, people try to be concise, and not over complicate, but it is times like this when exactness is needed.

The best methods, that I recommend, to get the best of your mint into your juleps, are as follows (use just one method):

1. soak some mint leaves in the bourbon you will be using for the Juleps. Remove the mint once the bourbon is really (24 hours, or less).

2. soak some mint leaves into some freshly prepared sugar syrup (if there is still some warmth in the syrup, then I find this is better than cold syrup).

3. Slight bruising of the mint using a muddler, gentle tapping with the implement will be enough. Do not let the mint leaves tear or become disfigured, usually caused by grinding with the wood.

4. Just place the mint in the glass, and add all other ingredients, along with the crushed ice. Then mix the concoction, either by shaking it, or by churning with the flatend of a professional barspoon (the one with the flat disc on one end, and a rifled shaft).

Some Julep recipes list granulated sugar, but surely it has to be syrup for a Julep.

Has anyone tried blending bourbon, homemade mint syrup, and crushed ice? It would still be a Julep right? Decorate with mint sprig. Hell you could even throw in some fruit before blending. It could be bigger than the Banana Daiquiri or Strawberry Margarita? Papaya Juleps? Durian Juleps? the possibilities are endless

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Thanks for the added insight. I think maybe since I have limited experience with muddling thigns for drinks, I thought something approaching paste was the goal.

This thread has been very helpful. I now know how to handle it with using mint leaves in the glass. I'll also try some of the infusing methods this weekend.

[thirtyoneknots]

I think the danger with making blended drinks with Bourbon would be letting it get too watery. I personally do not enjoy watered-down bourbon (unless it started at barrel-proof or somesuch).

-Andy

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Even with 3 ounces of Bourbon? We are talking about a Julep here.

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Well, you got me there. I'll drink just about anything containing 3 oz of Bourbon :-P

[eje]

By the way, Derby Day is this Saturday (May 5, 2007.) As fine an excuse as any to chill those julep cups you splurged for on eBay, and practice your julep making skills.

[plattetude]

By the way, Derby Day is this Saturday (May 5, 2007.)  As fine an excuse as any to chill those julep cups you splurged for on eBay, and practice your julep making skills.

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And as my wife is fond of pointing out, we really need to be making mint margaritas, considering that it's also Cinco de Mayo.

Christopher

[eje]

I get the impression that Bonny Doon is "aging" it's peach eau de vie in stainless steel rather than wood.

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Yeah, me too, though they don't say specifically. Given that they mention glass, it may well just have been sitting in bottles in a warehouse somewhere.

I've dropped them a note, and will report back, if I get any further information.

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Heard back from Bonny Doon.

The Peach Eau de Vie was made in 2001 and aged in Stainless Steel barrels.

Maybe if some other folks bug them, they will switch to wood for the next batch...

[bostonapothecary]

mint juleps.......wednesday's food column in the new york times.......check it out... i love having wednesdays off. there is a nice gin article also.....

[slkinsey]

Here's a link to the NYT article. It's mostly a description of the Julep as made by Chris McMillian at the Ritz-Carlton hotel's Library Lounge in New Orleans. In fact, I'd say the article is really more about McMillian than it is about the Julep, per se. He is a bartender of the (good) old school, and apparently given to reciting J. Soule Smith's ode when preparing a Julep at a leisurely pace.

"Chris is a rare living link to this amazing old-world profession," said Dave Wondrich, drinks correspondent for Esquire and the author of the forthcoming book "Imbibe!" (Perigee Books, $23.95). "There are plenty of creative younger bartenders who know how to mix, but very few who have mastered the lore and demeanor of the old days."

Mr. McMillian delights in holding court with quasi-educational bar patter. A dedicated amateur historian, a born storyteller and a co-founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail here, Mr. McMillian stockpiles esoteric tidbits of cocktail history. Every round opens up fresh possibilities for a short lecture on the lasting impact of Prohibition, Hammurabi’s Code or the public drinking spaces of ancient Pompeii.

His Julep recipe is for a peach bourbon Julep:

<blockquote>12 to 15 leaves : fresh mint,

1 oz : peach syrup (Monin is recommended)

2.5 oz : bourbon

Superfine sugar and mint sprig for garnish

Gently muddle mint leaves and 1/4 ounce peach syrup in a julep cup or old-fashioned glass, working the leaves up the sides of glass. Pack the cup or glass with finely crushed ice, add bourbon, drizzle with remaining peach syrup and garnish with mint sprig lightly dusted with sugar.</blockquote>

There's also a mint Julep recipe in the current issue of New York Magazine, featuring a recipe from LeNell Smothers. LeNell's Julep is also a whiskey Julep, but strays quite a bit further from the accepted Julep orthodoxy with the inclusion of bitters and an unusual sweetener.

<blockquote>LeNell Smothers's Granny's Whiskey Julep

1 tsp: Granny's Not So Simple Syrup* or Pedro Ximénez cream sherry

2 dashes : Fee Brothers whiskey barrel-aged bitters

5 leaves : fresh mint

2 oz : 100-proof bourbon or rye

Splash : Prichard's Tennessee rum

* Add pound of golden raisins to a quart jar, cover with gin and wait two weeks.

Gently muddle the mint leaves together with the syrup and bitters in a julep cup or old-fashioned glass, then remove and discard the mint. Fill most of the way with crushed ice and add the whiskey, stirring until frost appears on the outside of the glass. Fill up with crushed ice and top with a splash of rum, then garnish with sprigs of mint. Optionally, dust with powdered sugar.</blockquote>

This sounds interesting. I like bitters in a Julep. I wonder if her "Granny's Not So Simple Syrup" is missing an addition of sugar, however. Unless the raisins give off a lot of sugar (anyone?) it doesn't seem like it would be very syrup-like to me.

[eje]

Boy, it really seems like Mint Juleps are the cocktail of the moment!

Trot out a Kentucky drinking tradition for Derby Day, Fred Thompson

A well-made mint julep is the perfect cocktail for the transition between the cool of early spring to the mild warmth of early summer. Southern families have exacting rituals, handed down through generations, for the proper preparation of a mint julep. While the mint julep has many tales of its history in Confederate surrender, it has its roots surprisingly in the Arab world.

The author includes a julep recipe from Chris Morris, Master Distiller and Spirits Historian at Woodford Reserve. Hmmm... He promotes the unfortunate "muddle mint to a paste" school of Julep making.

Chris Morris' Mint Julep

Makes 1 drink

"Through all of the years and all of the changes, one thing has remained constant - the mint julep is one of the most aromatically pleasing concoctions ever created," said Morris. "And does it ever taste good!"

INGREDIENTS:

3-5 mint leaves

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

2 teaspoons water

2-2 1/2 ounces bourbon

Crushed Ice

Mint sprig for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Instructions: Muddle mint and sugar in the bottom of a julep glass. Add water, continuing to muddle contents to a paste. Add bourbon. Pack the julep glass with crushed ice. Garnish with a mint spring and a straw for sipping.

Note: If a metal julep cup is used, be sure to use a wooden muddler to eliminate the possibility of scratching your julep cup.

[slkinsey]

Boy, it really seems like Mint Juleps are the cocktail of the moment!

Yea, happens pretty much every year right around this time.

Not sure why the recipe calls for "powdered sugar" since I can't imagine the recipe is meant to be made with modern-day powdered sugar (surely it's supposed to be superfine sugar).

[eje]

[...]

That said, my ideal Julep requires a simple 10-step procedure.

[...]

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Tried this with my currently only surviving mint, which unfortunately is Grapefruit Mint. I have to say, I was under-impressed.

Not with the procedure; but, with the mint.

It's too weird and vegetal. Not minty-aromatic enough.

Off to the plant store, tomorrow, to get a couple proper mint plants.

[Splificator]

Tried this with my currently only surviving mint, which unfortunately is Grapefruit Mint.  I have to say, I was under-impressed.

Not with the procedure; but, with the mint.

Thank God it wasn't the procedure!

I find there's no substitute for plain old American spearmint in these. After all, the Julep really isn't about the mint, no more than the Old-Fashioned is about the bitters.

In honor of the harmonic convergence yesterday--Cinco de Mayo and Kentucky Derby--I made Tequila Juleps yesterday, following this procedure but using a reposado in place of the cognac, substituting a little Grand Marnier for some of the sugar/water and adding a teaspoon or so of lime juice. Not bad, IMHO.

[thirtyoneknots]

Tried this with my currently only surviving mint, which unfortunately is Grapefruit Mint.  I have to say, I was under-impressed.

Not with the procedure; but, with the mint.

Thank God it wasn't the procedure!

I find there's no substitute for plain old American spearmint in these. After all, the Julep really isn't about the mint, no more than the Old-Fashioned is about the bitters.

In honor of the harmonic convergence yesterday--Cinco de Mayo and Kentucky Derby--I made Tequila Juleps yesterday, following this procedure but using a reposado in place of the cognac, substituting a little Grand Marnier for some of the sugar/water and adding a teaspoon or so of lime juice. Not bad, IMHO.

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Tequila Juleps were sort of the running joke at work yesterday but the more I thought about it the more I figured it probably wouldn't be that bad (providing you like tequila). Unfortunately we were out of our only reposado (Hornitos) and I didnt want to push my luck with the bar manager by asking to pour the Don Julio 1942 for an experiment :-P

-Andy

[slkinsey]

Julep makers: Do you find, as I do, that the crush of the ice has a tremendous effect on the quality of the Julep?

I've often made them with ice crushed on the finest setting of my Ice-o-Matic electric ice crusher. This gets the ice pretty fine -- right around what I've seen in most pictures and what I get in my favorite bars around town. But I got to thinking that ice rasped off of a big block would be a lot more fine than that. So, I've experimented with pouring my crushed ice into a tea towel and having at it for a minute or so with a meat mallet, which produces something a lot closer to snow. The result was a lot better, IMO.

[eje]

Here's a picture of my first attempt at the Brandy (Pierre Ferrand Ambre) Julep, following the Wondrich simple 10-Step method.

It was actually quite tasty, grapefruit mint aside.

Can't wait to try one with old fashioned aromatic spearmint.

[Dan Ryan]

I find there's no substitute for plain old American spearmint in these. After all, the Julep really isn't about the mint, no more than the Old-Fashioned is about the bitters.

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And I'll keep pushing peppermint as the ideal variety. With any soft herbs, it's all about avoiding grassy flavours. Obviously, careful deployment is important, but with peppermint you have more menthol for less leaf. It does make sense. You could do a comparative and let us know...

[bostonapothecary]

Tequila Juleps were sort of the running joke at work yesterday but the more I thought about it the more I figured it probably wouldn't be that bad (providing you like tequila). Unfortunately we were out of our only reposado (Hornitos) and I didnt want to push my luck with the bar manager by asking to pour the Don Julio 1942 for an experiment :-P

-Andy

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the people of tlaxcala make a drink called "verde" because of its mint... but they are not like east coast peasant people so they add lime....

i made about a 100 or so of them yesterday and 86'd every brand of blanco tequila in the house....

i told everybody they could only have beer or my cinco de mayo drink and most were so impressed by my arrogence (and taste of the drink) that i got a couple rounds out of them....

it helped that i was drinking them while working and of course that it was served in a canning jar....

[David Santucci]

As far as making finely-crushed ice, I have had pretty good luck doing this in the food processor. And now that I've got the nice KitchenAid blender, I bet I could get some pretty powdery ice to come out of it too. I haven't had much luck with the bag and mallet/frying pan method, however. What is the preferred method/equipment there?

[thirtyoneknots]

I have a cheap hand crank ice crusher from Ikea, it makes pieces on average the size of a pencil eraser, works dandy for me. Only annoying thing about it is that you can't crank it while the top is open and it has a relatively small hopper, meaning to fill a pint glass with crushed ice entails stopping and reloading about 3 times or so. For $10, though, I can deal.

-Andy

[eje]

Hmmm...

Well, slkinsey seems to be advocating something almost as fine as shaved ice.

I've seen some julep recipes that do recommend pre-freezing julep glasses full of shaved ice, and then pouring the chilled, mint flavored whiskey over the ice, sort of like Sno-Cones (or Hawaiian Shave Ice).

I think Embury had a couple particularly elaborate methods like that.

I've never had much luck with pounding the ice inside a tea towel. Ice goes flying everywhere, worried cats hiding under the bed, etc. For these sorts of things, I usually just use my manual ice crusher, turning the handle the "fine" way, instead of the "coarse" way. Not that I can really tell the difference between the size of the ice with either direction.

[eje]

I have a cheap hand crank ice crusher from Ikea, it makes pieces on average the size of a pencil eraser, works dandy for me. Only annoying thing about it is that you can't crank it while the top is open and it has a relatively small hopper, meaning to fill a pint glass with crushed ice entails stopping and reloading about 3 times or so. For $10, though, I can deal.

-Andy

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Swing-A-Way Ice Crusher (Amazon Link)

This one works pretty well for me.

The big pro, is, it has a decent size hopper which holds over a pint of ice.

Edited May 7, 2007 by eje (log)

[thirtyoneknots]

I have a cheap hand crank ice crusher from Ikea, it makes pieces on average the size of a pencil eraser, works dandy for me. Only annoying thing about it is that you can't crank it while the top is open and it has a relatively small hopper, meaning to fill a pint glass with crushed ice entails stopping and reloading about 3 times or so. For $10, though, I can deal.

-Andy

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Swing-A-Way Ice Crusher (Amazon Link)

This one works pretty well for me.

The big pro, is, it has a decent size hopper which holds over a pint of ice.

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That's pretty similar to the one we have at work, it's a bit heavier and the hopper is bigger (and can be loaded while still cranking). I'd recommend it.

-Andy

[David Santucci]

How fine does the Swing-a-Way crush the ice? Pencil eraser is definately not fine enough. The goal here is powdery-fine. The Cuisinart gets it pretty fine -- a little finer than the typical Sno-Cone, though not quite as fine as a shaved ice. Embury and others recommend putting ice into a towel and pounding away until snow results. I've tried a few times, but without success. Could be my choice of towel/bag and/or mallet/frying pan.

My method for the Mint Julep:

1. Bruise a few mint leaves in the bottom of an Old Fashioned glass.

2. Add a little bit of simple syrup.

3. Pack the glass full with powdery-fine ice.

4. Pour Bourbon over same, leaving just enogh room at the top to vigorously stir.

5. Vigorously stir for a good long time.

As you can see, the amount of simple syrup you need will vary with the size of your glass. In my glasses, these definately end up being big, stiff drinks. Getting only six drinks out of a bottle is not unheard-of. If you're not feeling the alcohol after one, you may have sprung a leak. The Kentucky Derby only lasts two minutes, so you want your drink to take effect quick.

[eje]

How fine does the Swing-a-Way crush the ice? Pencil eraser is definately not fine enough. The goal here is powdery-fine. The Cuisinart gets it pretty fine -- a little finer than the typical Sno-Cone, though not quite as fine as a shaved ice. Embury and others recommend putting ice into a towel and pounding away until snow results. I've tried a few times, but without success. Could be my choice of towel/bag and/or mallet/frying pan.

[...]

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I'd say most pieces are on average pencil eraser size, some smaller. Small enough to get sucked up in the pictured straw, anyway. I don't think they are quite sno-cone size; though, it's been years since I've had one. Nowhere near shave ice.

Probably not fine enough for juleps.

Edited May 7, 2007 by eje (log)

[johnder]

The way I was making these last night -- 1/2 ounce of simple and 2 oz of makers in an empty julep cup. Put in a scoop of pellet/crushed ice and stir for 30 seconds. Top off the julep cup with more ice, put in 4-5 big sprigs of mint. Enjoy. Repeat.