Mint Julep

The Classicist: Southern Proper's Timeless Style

Filed under: Apparel, Sports, Men's Style, The Classicist

Mint juleps, seersucker, stately plantations, belles in summer dresses and those F. Scott Fitzgerald stories where they go around saying "Good mawnin', Sally Carrol" -- all come together in the new spring collection from Southern Proper, a gentleman's outfitter from Atlanta now gaining wider recognition from natty northerners.

Tags: Atlanta, bow ties, croquet, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Georgia, golf, Kentucky Derby, mens clothing, mens style, mint julep, polo, preppy, sailing, southern plantations, Southern Proper, southern+mens+style, southernmensstyle, tennis, the south, ties

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Beyond the Mint Julep: Ten Great Pours for Kentucky Derby Day

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

This weekend is Kentucky Derby Day. That means Mint Juleps, parties at and around Churchill Downs, as well as at people's homes across the country.

Bourbon sales spike in late April as people get ready for their parties, just like Champagne sales climb in the two weeks before New Years Eve.

To make a perfect pitcher of Mint Julep, start with 4 cups of Bourbon, 2 bunches of spearmint, one cup of distilled water, one cup of granulated sugar, and some powdered sugar.

Remove about 40 leaves from the spearmint bunch, and cover with 3 oz. of Bourbon. Allow the leaves to soak for 15 minutes. Wring the mint out over the bowl you have put the whiskey in. Dip the mint bundle into the bowl several times more.

To prepare the simple syrup, mix a cup of granulated sugar and once cup of distilled water in a small sauce pan. Heat to dissolve the sugar. Stir constantly so it doesn't burn. Set aside to cool.

To prepare the Mint Julep, pour 3 1/2 cups of Bourbon into a large pitcher. Add one cup of the syrup to the Bourbon.

Now begin adding the mint extract you made one tablespoon at a time to the pitcher. Once that is done, pour the whole mixture into a bottle with a stopper, and chill for 24 hours to marry the flavors.

To serve, fill each glass (or silver Julep cup, over shaved ice and a sprinkle of powdered sugar to the top of the ice. Add a sprig of fresh mint. Choose your horse wisely.

Here are eleven great pours for Derby Day to have straight or use as the basis of your Juleps.

Gallery: Eleven Great Pours For Kentucky Derby

Tags: Blantons, Bookers Bourbon, Bourbon, Evan Williams, Jim Beam, Kentucky Derby, kentucky derby cocktails, mint julep, Mint Juleps, Rusells Reserve, Wild Turkey

Woodford Reserve & Tiffany Unveil World's Most Exclusive Mint Julep

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Events, Charity

Woodford Reserve, the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, has created the world's most exclusive mint julep in collaboration with Tiffany & Co. Only 73 of the sterling silver cups will be available at $1,000 apiece; purchasers will be served a julep in the cup at Churchill Downs on Derby Day, May 1st. Not just any old julep either. The elite cocktails are crafted from raw-cane sugar made from 100 percent organic sugar cane grown in Brazil; Kentucky Colonel Mint from Louisville, KY which was grown in a used Woodford Reserve bourbon barrel; ice made of water from a 10,000-year-old glacier in the far northern region of the Pacific Ocean near the Gulf of Alaska; and a small batch of the Master Distiller's personal selection of Woodford Reserve super-premium bourbon.

Proceeds from the cups will benefit The Barnstable Brown Kentucky Diabetes & Obesity Center. Each individually numbered cup is presented with a sterling silver sipping straw and features the Woodford Reserve logo along with a unique horse racing design. The handmade silver cups come with a sterling silver sipping straw. Each cup will be presented in a unique Tiffany & Co. "blue box" and will be set in a Woodford Reserve casing made from the same oak as Woodford Reserve barrels. Consumers age 21 years and older can log on to www.woodfordreservemintjulep.com through April 28 to purchase one of the 73 cups (first come first serve basis).

Tags: Bourbon, cocktails, horse racing, Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, mint julep, mint julep cup, silver, sterling silver, Tiffany, Tiffany Co., Woodford Reserve

Woodford to Serve Up $1,000 Mint Juleps on Derby Day

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Events, Charity, Sports

The other day we told you about Woodford Reserve's limited edition bottle for the Kentucky Derby. Now Woodford, the official bourbon of the famed race, which takes place on May 2, is offering the world's most exclusive mint julep for $1,000. It's made with sugar cane cut and crushed by hand from Sainte Marie in the Reunion Island of France; Turkish mint grown near the Euphrates River; ice made of water from an aquifer in the wilderness of Central Norway; and a small batch of the Master Distiller's personal selection of Woodford Reserve super-premium bourbon. Of course for $1,000 you get to the keep the cup. Made of sterling silver plated in 24-karat gold, it's adorned with jockey silks representing the Woodford Reserve Stables. The cups are made by New England Sterling, the official trophy maker of the Kentucky Derby.

Each comes with a sterling silver straw and an oak box crafted from the same wood as Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels, lined in black satin. There are 96 of the cups available for purchase from April 13 - 29 via their website; you have to pick them up (along with the julep) in person at Churchill Downs on Derby Day. Additionally, there are three extra-special Legends Cups which also feature three diamonds – one for each leg of the Triple Crown – and each one is in honor of a different living Triple Crown-winning jockey. You can bid on your favorite jockey from those offered in the Legends Cups, and the cup has his signature engraved on it. Bidding for the Legends Cups starts at $1,000. Proceeds from the cups will benefit The Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and The Robby Albarado Foundation.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: bourbon, cocktails, diamonds, gold, horseracing, Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, KentuckyDerby, mint julep, MintJulep, Triple Crown, TripleCrown, Woodford Reserve, WoodfordReserve

Woodford Reserve's Big Brown Triple Crown Tribute

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Sports

In celebration of Big Brown's seemingly inevitable Triple Crown victory at tomorrow's Belmont Stakes, our favorite small batch bourbon Woodford Reserve has created a special cocktail. The "Big Brown Triple Crown" recipe is as follows:

1 1/2 ounces Woodford Reserve
3 ounces Sweet and Sour Mix
3 dashes Chambord (1/4 ounce)

Shake vigorously and strain into a tall glass with ice. Garnish with 3 blackberries (one for each crown, natch).

The Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Kentucky, founded in 1812, is a National Historic Landmark with strong ties to horseracing. It was selected as the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, and as we can personally attest, it also makes a mean mint julep. Check out the BBTC cocktail and more in the gallery.

Gallery: Woodford Reserve Bourbon

Tags: Belmont Stakes, BelmontStakes, Big Brown, BigBrown, Bourbon, Horseracing, Kentucky, Kentucky Derby, KentuckyDerby, Mint Julep, MintJulep, Racehorses, Thoroughbreds, Triple Crown, TripleCrown, Woodford Reserve, WoodfordReserve

Sonoma Syrups: Summer Cocktail Secret Weapon

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Spirits

A while back we told you about Stirrings, the all-natural drink mixers from Massachusetts. Now we're going to introduce you to our other secret weapon when it comes to making summer cocktails (and it usually does): gourmet Sonoma Syrups. When we tell you that we willingly pay extra to have this stuff shipped clear across the country you'll realize this isn't just a bunch of sugar water. Based in California wine country, Sonoma makes handcrafted, small-batch, natural syrups and extracts that really make certain drinks sing.

We wouldn't think of making a margarita or mint julep with anything else, for one thing, and if you want to get really creative with something like a pomegranate martini, their infusions are indispensable. We use their classic simple syrup, made from pure cane sugar, filtered water and a hint of vanilla, in place of the chemical-laden bar sugar that many drink recipes call for. It dissolves better, tastes better and complements top-shelf spirits. We're also told that Sonoma's syrups have lots of non-alcoholic applications, but we'll just take their word on that one.

Gallery: Sonoma Syrup Co.

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Tags: Cocktails, Margarita, Mint julep, MintJulep, Sonoma Syrup, SonomaSyrup, Stirrings, Summer drinks, SummerDrinks

The $1,000 Mint Julep

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Events

The Kentucky Derby just got a bit fancier. A $1,000 mint julep will be offered at this year's race at Churchill Downs on May 6. The $1,000 cocktail will be made of Woodford Reserve bourbon, mint from Morroco, ice from the Arctic Circle and sugar from the South Pacific and will be served in a gold-plated cup with a silver straw. The drink will go to the first 50 people willing to pay and the proceeds will raise money for Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation which provides homes for former race horses. If there was ever a place to sell such a drink, this would be it. The company usually sells about 90,000 mint juleps during the event.

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Tags: bourbon, chruchill downs, ChruchillDowns, cocktail, drink, horses, kentucky derby, mint julep, racing, woodford reserve