So, What Bourbon's Going In Your Mint Julep On Derby Day?

[FlounderinDC]

I'm going to someone else's party so whatever they have. I thought about taking my own bottle, but my wife already made bourbon balls to take over. I'll probably only have one julep...then switch to on the rocks or something.

[KyFriedChicken]

I know what you mean. I make a killer Manhattan by subbing beer for the whiskey and Cholula sauce for the bitters.

I skipped the Mint Julep myself. Made a Manhattan my way.

3/4 oz sweet vermouth

2 1/2 oz Whistle Pig

1 dash Angostura® bitters

1 maraschino cherry

4 dashes of lemon juice

and.....Yep....Over crushed ice.

Good to me! That's as close as I will ever get to a Julep or cocktail again. Not my thing.

[Sijan]

I started with the dregs from an old handle of OGD BIB and went through a handle of Old Forester 100 proof. (Not by myself, of course.)

[barturtle]

Haven't tried mixing my own yet so I will be drinking Early Times Mint Julep.

This is the best way to do it.

Mint Juleps are designed as a way to make unpalatable whiskey palatable. And since none of us want to spend our money on whiskey we won't want to drink straight, and if we have whiskey we do like to drink straight, why the heck would we ruin it by putting it in a julep...

crush some ice in the blender and pour. no fuss no muss. no wasting of good whiskey.

[Bourbon Boiler]

Left 1792, WTRB, Baby Saz, Handy, Willett, WTKS, and Russell's Reserve Rye on the counter with a pitcher of mint infused syrup (made from mint in my garden) for my guests to select and mix as they chose. Very nice way to celebrate the Pick Three I hit.

[Josh]

I don't really agree with Timothy's POV regarding the Julep. That may have been the origin of cocktails and punches, but nowadays it's more about the combination of flavors than making bad whiskey taste good. I agree that upper shelf stuff would be wasted in a mixed drink of any sort, but there are plenty of mid shelf whiskeys that are good neat and in cocktails. Four Roses Small Batch, Maker's Mark, Old Forester Signature, etc all work mixed. Plus, some whiskey is so bad it will end up ruining the drink rather than the drink improving the whiskey.

[whiskeyagonzo]

I used OWA with fresh cut chocolate mint leaves and sugar. I have to agree with Josh, a good Bourbon should compliment the mint. Inferior Bourbon still tastes inferior with mint and sugar. IMHO anyway.

[Kalessin]

For a fun read on the proper method of mixing Mint Juleps, I suggest reading the Buckner Mint Julep Ceremony [the ceremony itself is described in the text of a 1937 letter from General SB Bruckner (at the time a former Commandant of Cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point) to Gen. Connor (at the time Superintendant at West Point)]:

http://www.thebucknerhome.com/julep/index.html

While I've seen Gen Buckner's letter in other contexts, this is the only place I've seen Gen. Connor's letter requesting the recipe.

Edited May 15, 2013 by Kalessin

[squire]

Thanks for that link, Gen. Buckner's words are as refreshing now as when I first read them years ago.