Probably all the out of town guests at the Derby will order a Mint Julep. At home these would be served in heavy sterling silver cups with your monogram. When the staved ice is poured into the cup, the outside acquires a trademark frost.
At Churchill Downs, they are served in a glass julep glass that is dated and decorated for each Derby. Many people have a collection that runs back for decades. A fellow I know searches the Internet to find the missing years of his collection.
Derby Day Mint Juleps:
Fresh mint
Sugar
Finest Kentucky Bourbon
Crushed Ice
Make a simple syrup of 1 part cold water to 2 parts sugar. Boil for 5 minutes and cool. To a pint of syrup, add the leaves of about 12 sprigs of mint. Store overnight, and strain out the leaves in the morning.
To serve, fill the julep cup full of crushed ice. The automatic ice crusher is great for this. Pour 2 jiggers of bourbon and a jigger of syrup. Stir and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
Warning: These can be lethal and addicting.
No comments:
Post a Comment