Mint Julep meets Brown Sugar Syrup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mint Julep season is about to begin. The Kentucky Derby coming up sooner than you think and mint growing season is about to start blooming.

We have come up with an improved sweetener for the classic Mint Julep using a staple of Southern cooking: Dark Brown Sugar.

This methodology provides for another level of depth of flavor as well as a surefire guarantee against undissolved sugar in the bottom of the cup.

Dark Brown Sugar Syrup

1 1/2 cups Dark Brown Sugar

1 cup water

5-6 good dashes of Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters

Place sugar and water in a non-reactive saucepan and simmer until sugar is almost completely dissolved.

Remove from heat and stir until completely dissolved.

Add the bitters and when cooled to room temperature, bottle it up and keep refrigerated.

 

The Gin Julep

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The original julep, some believe. A whole different experience, refreshing but slightly astringent. A different gin will no doubt render a somewhat different result; we used Warwick American Dry Rustic Gin from the beautiful Hudson Valley.

In a cocktail shaker, muddle around two dozen mint leaves with a quarter cup of crushed ice.

Add:

3 ounces gin
1.5 ounces simple syrup
Another cup of crushed ice.

Shake vigorously. Strain into two julep cups (or two frozen Manhattan glasses) filled with crushed ice. Add a generous swath of fresh mint and a straw.

Happy afternoons on the porch…