Horses are poised, bets are on, hats are at the ready and the bourbon is standing by, ready to be poured into thousands of mint julep cocktails. It must be Kentucky Derby weekend.
America's most famous horse race says more than 125,000 mint juleps are consumed at the annual two-day festival at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Kentucky. According to its website, that requires about 10,000 bottles of Kentucky bourbon, 2,250 pounds of freshly harvested
mint and 475,000 pounds of ice.
But you don’t have to be there in person to enjoy this classic cocktail. The julep — a simple mix of sugar, water, fresh mint, crushed ice and bourbon — is accessible and easy to recreate.
Mint juleps have been drunk at the Kentucky Derby since it began in the late 19th century, but they became its signature drink in the 1930s. That's when the Derby created a commemorative cup to serve them in, and people began sneaking them home as souvenirs, says Martha Dalton, co-founder of Never Say Die bourbon.
“Instead of kind of fighting against that, they embraced it. And so from then on, (the mint julep) really became completely synonymous with the Derby," says Dalton, whose company is named after a Derby-winning racehorse said to have been revived with a shot of whiskey as a foal.
The julep’s roots, she says, are in ancient Persia, where sweetened rose water tonic called “gulab” was used for its medicinal properties. It spread to medieval Europe, where alcohol was brought into the mix, and on into the American South, where there was an abundance of mint and bourbon distilleries.
Why does the drink maintain its Southern charm?
“Every sip is slightly different,” says Angelos Bafas, bartender and co-founder of Cato bar in London. The bar is named after Cato Alexander, the 19th-century Manhattan bartender believed to have popularized juleps.
“The ice dilutes and the aromatics of the bourbon open up as the day proceeds,” says Bafas.
For a traditional mint julep, Bafas says, stirring the ice is key to getting the right amount of cold and dilution. Keep stirring until the outside of the cup turns frosty.
“People tend to forget that water is an ingredient, and it’s actually one very active and important ingredient when it comes to juleps as it allows the bourbon to shine through. And also it allows the drink to be more palatable,” he says.
Plucking some mint from his homegrown plant and brushing it lightly against the side of the cup, he adds that the mint should be slapped (a light tap) not muddled (mashed).
“The mint has to release the delicate aromas,” says Bafas, explaining that muddling “can give you this kind of grassy very chlorophyll flavor.”
Bafas also suggests adding a few drops of aromatic bitters to “give a bit of flavor and to bring some body to the game.”
If you want to get creative, there are plenty of twists on the classic mint julep. Bafas makes a London Julep, which uses slightly less bourbon and adds a serve of elderflower liqueur for a sweeter, easier introduction to the drink, with a quintessentially English stamp.
He also suggests a highball julep, created by adding a bit of soda. “It’s technically a mojito made with bourbon, but you know, it’s based on the DNA of juleps,” he says.
Single Serve
2 oz bourbon whiskey
0.5 oz filtered water
0.5 oz simple syrup
3 dashes Angostura bitters
10 fresh mint leaves
4 drops of mint tincture (optional)
Crushed ice in a metal cup
Pour the whiskey into a julep cup, lightly slap the mint leaves to release their aroma, and add them in. Stir briefly, then add the remaining ingredients and crushed ice. Stir until the cup turns frosty on the outside, then top with more crushed ice, garnish with a fresh mint sprig, and serve with a straw.
The trick then is to take your time and make your drink last longer than the race record of 1 minute 59.40 seconds set by Secretariat in 1973.
