Mint Julep x 2

Ingredients:

4 ounces bourbon

splash of simple syrup

fresh mint sprigs

Regular mint julep:

Muddle the mint with the simple syrup at the bottom of an iced highball glass. Add bourbon and stir until glass is frost, then garnish with more mint.

Southern Style mint julep:

Add bourbon to an iced highball glass and stir until glass is frosted. Add simple syrup and fill with soda water. Add mint sprigs so that the tops extend out of the glass.

I drank these both in one night, and they sent me to bed early. You hear mint julep and you think of Southern gentility and the Kentucky derby, but it's a stiff drink. Basically pour some bourbon in a glass and stick some mint in it. For me, that means bedtime.

On another note, why didn't the regular mint julep taste at all like mint? I muddled the shit out of those sprigs, but all I tasted was bourbon in my glass. Unexpectedly, in the Southern style drink, where you are not actually consuming mint at all, you get a much better minty sensation. Because the leaves extend over the glass, you end up burying your nose in them as you take a sip. The fragrance of the mint is stronger than the taste, so the Southern style gets you a better mint experience. I loved that.

Enjoy and bottoms up!