In honor of the Kentucky Derby...Has anyone ever had a Mint Julep?

[Wishydoo]

...and could someone please tell me what it consists of?

 

[jsmith]

yep I have had one-at Churchill downs-Ice, Kentucky bourbon whiskey, crushed mint and powdered sugar. You put the sugar in the bottom of the glass, then the mint. Crush the mint, fill the glass with crushed ice, pour in the whiskey, stir gently and garnish with fresh mint. One is plenty

 

[jipsy]

2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water (branch water is ideal)
Fresh Mint
Crushed Ice
Kentucky Bourbon (2 ounces per serving)

Make a simple mint syrup* by boiling sugar and water together for 5 minutes; cool. Place in a covered container with 6 or 8 bruised mint sprigs. Refrigerate overnight.
Make a julep by filling a julep cup* or glass with crushed ice, then adding 1 tablespoon of mint syrup and 2 ounces of bourbon. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost outside of cup or glass. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig..

*This makes enough syrup for about 44 juleps.

Extra Tips:

Always use a premium Kentucky bourbon
Use crushed or shaved ice and pack in cup.
To bruise mint, place in a cup and gently pass the back of a spoon between cup and the leaves a time or two. You want the mint to release some of the fragrant oils.
Add a straw cut to protrude just above the rim of the cup and serve. You should be able to get a faint whiff of the mint sprig when you're sipping.
Keep the covered syrup in the refrigerator (after removing the mint leaves) if you don't plan on drinking all the servings.. Enjoy later....

 

[nativetxn]

Love the Kentucky bourbon (isn't that the only kind of bourbon there is? I don't think bourbon is made anywhere but Kentucky) Don't care for all that sugar and mint, though

 

[Saffron]

I always wanted to try one, but I don't know if I'd like it or not. I love mint!!!

Take the sugar, water and mint away and you have one of WillyJ's favorite drinks.

 

[d.kurz]

I'm only about 2 hours away from tasting my first mint julep. Going to a Kentucky Derby party right here in PA!

 

[Kaycee]

I was born and raised in Kentucky, and I've lived here most of my life, but I've never had a mint julep. I'm not a big mint fan, and the thought of adding mint and sugar to bourbon turns my stomach.

Kentucky bourbon is wonderful though!!

Kaycee

 

[Wishydoo]

Thanks everyone for the recipe for mint juleps..now I know!

d. kurz...have a blast at the party!

 

[Poohlovr]

Here you go---straight from Louisville, where the Derby will be run in just a very few minutes...



Among the Bourbon Barons
Drinking Kentucky's best is hard, rewarding work. And so is making it.
by Matt Labash
06/05/2002 12:00:00 AM


Matt Labash, senior writer


One thing Samuels has given a great amount of thought to is his mint julep recipe. Juleps, as any Kentuckian knows, are a Derby Day tourist's drink. All that mint and simple syrup gets in the way of the bourbon."

"Over at the Wild Turkey distillery in Bourbon County, master distiller Jimmy Russell has an entirely different take on the "perfect mint julep." Russell has been making bourbon since 1954, and on the industry's scale of respectability, he is revered somewhere between God and Jesus. Under a white tent pitched in a pasture on the Wild Turkey distillery grounds, Russell imparts his secret mint julep recipe after we've tasted all his products.

"To make the perfect mint julep," Russell intones, "You have to have a sterling silver mint julep cup, and 200 milliliters of Wild Turkey 101 proof. You got to shave the ice in that mint julep cup--you don't want to put it in crushed. Then you go down to the spring where the fresh mint's growing, and early that morning, you take eight to ten leaves of the fresh mint. You put it in, you mash it up to get the juice, then you take about a teaspoon of powdered sugar and enough water to dissolve it. Let it sit for about ten minutes, so you get the sweetness of the mint flavor. Then you strain it into your shaved ice. You take a sprig of mint, with all the leaves, and stick it down into the cup, ice and all."

At this point, all of us journalists are writing scrupulously, eager to impress our friends at our next Kentucky Derby party, which even the non-horse-racing enthusiasts among us are now planning on throwing. "At that point," Russell continues, "you walk to the back of your porch, throw it all away, and drink the 101 Wild Turkey straight," he says, as we all stop scribbling. "Did you get all that down?"

 

[Marla Hellwig]

Haven't had this but have had Derby Pie - which basically is a pecan pie with chocolate - it is Mrs. Down's favorite receipe.

 

[UncleKyle]

Had mint julip today at a derby party. I live for the Kentucky Derby

 

[Micca]

I'd like to try a mint julep, but I'd be willing to knock back a plain bourbon if the mint and sugar aren't handy.

Isn't there a restaurant/bar at WDW that serves them?

 

[PamOKW]

*This makes enough syrup for about 44 juleps.

But, what if I have a guest what wants a mint juelp, too?

I've been thinking about trying one of these. I guess today would have been the day to do it. The Food Network was running all kinds of Derby related shows today. One bartender recommended spending an hour drinking a julep. I also saw that Derby Pie.....that looks like it's worth a try, too.

 

[bekkiz]

I know that Disneyland serves a non-alcoholic version in the New Orleans square area. But that doesn't really answer the question about disneyworld, sorry

 

[snoopy]

I tried one once, because I love the taste of mint. First sip about knocked me on my you-know-what! It wasn't sweet tasting, or minty tasting AT ALL, all I could taste was bourban. If you like the taste of straight bourban, then I guess you would like this. I don't, and after that one sip, I steer clear of these things!

 

[browneyes]

I've never had one.

 

[Wishydoo]

Well, I haven't heard one person say.."yum, yum!"...

so I guess I'll stick with my strawberry daqueris! LOL

 

[jipsy]

Oh I'll YUM YUM them - I love mint juleps.

 

[Wishydoo]

Okay, I heard that Jipsy!



If I ever get the chance..I'll try it.

 

[d.kurz]

Well.... I took one sniff, and one sip and went to the cooler and opened a beer!

I never have been one to drink straight alcohol.

I will say that the bourbon added a certain amount of HILARITY to this party....we laughed for HOURS!!

Thanks for the kind "wishes", wishydoo. And BTW, I've always liked your username!!