A Yankee's Bastardized Mint Julep

[wintermute]

I'm pretty new here, and pretty new to bourbon in general. With the warm-up in NY last week, it got me thinking about sitting on the deck in the hot summer, drinking what I used to think of as a "mint julep". It was pretty tasty, and now with the knowledge I've gained over the last few months, I plan to modify it this summer, although the result will still be something I wouldn't blame you Suth'ners for scoffing at...

put a teaspoon of granulated sugar, maybe 5 or 6 mint leaves, and a half-to-full teaspoon of water in a mortar and grind with a pestle (or is it the other way round?), dump in the bottom of a nice, tall collins glass.

put in a long sprig of mint into the glass so that the top leaves are over the top. fill most of the way with cubed, not crushed, ice.

Here's where there'll be a shocked gasp - pour in about 4 oz of Jack Daniels (note: this summer it will be substituted with WT101 or OGD114)

Insert stirrer and serve

The cubed ice melts slower than the crushed, preserving the integrity of the drink longer, and you don't need a straw, just let the drink pass through the cubes as you tip your glass.

Let the tomatoes be thrown!