Mint Julep

It’s early afternoon. The sun is shining down on a gentle, rolling green garden. Dressed in colourful clothes, people are lounging about, sipping on a drink in a silver cup, waiting for horses to start their racing. This is the Kentucky Derby and everyone in sight is enjoying the event’s official drink since 1983: the Mint Julep. The two-day event allegedly serves over 1,20,000 drinks!

A concoction of bourbon, water, sugar, ice, and mint leaves, the cocktail has a rather disputed history. While it was formulated somewhere in America in the 18th century, several states have slightly different recipes, and honing down on the one true recipe is a matter of (often heated) debate.

The 2005 book Alcoholica Esoterica: A Collection of Useful and Useless Information As It Relates to the History and Consumption of All Manner of Booze by Ian Lendler states that it first appeared in print in 1803 as a "dram of spirituous liquor that has mint in it, taken by Virginians in the morning."

Yes, in the 1800s, the cocktail was treated as a morning drink, especially useful for curing aches and pains, and giving the drinker a boost of energy and freshness. This breakfast drink was, most historians agree, popular among Virginia's high society, and was consumed in silver goblets. Today, these silver cups are as important to the experience of drinking a Mint Julep as the drink itself.

The name of the cocktail goes further back, having travelled almost 400 years. It started with the Arabic word "gulab", meaning rosewater. In the Mediterranean, rose was replaced with the indigenous mint, later offering itself to the name we have today.

The drink, which sounds simple enough to make, comes with the challenge of getting each element right. Since it’s straightforward, there’s no fancy mixing to hide behind. For instance, the ice dilutes the alcohol over time, changing the taste of the drink. For this reason, it should be sipped on slowly and savoured, much like wine. There’s also much debate about whether the ice should be crushed or shredded to make a better tasting drink.

The mint must not be overdone either, since it quickly goes from being minty to giving a bitter taste in the mouth. It’s not meant to be an inherently sweet drink, with the sugar essentially adding a dash of taste, helping the overall experience of the drink evolve. And the liquor must, of course, be of a high quality and at least mid-80-to-90-proof bourbon.

If accessing the Derby isn’t possible for you, enjoy the drink while entertaining yourself with related popular culture. For instance, it finds mention in books like Gone With the Wind and The Great Gatsby, and songs like Ray Charles’ 'One Mint Julep'.