Mint Julep

The famous Kentucky Derby is held on the first Saturday of May. Since 1938, the drink of choice to accompany the festivities has been the Mint Julep. I'm a huge fan of Mint Juleps, which also make an appearance in chapter seven of The Great Gatsby. Bourbon gives them a wonderful smokey taste, which works beautifully with the flavours of fresh mint. If you've never made one before, here's how I do it:

First, mix up a simple syrup. Combine sugar with water (ideally spring water), and add bruised mint. Add a decent shot of this syrup to the bottom of the glass (or silver julep cup- but more of that later). Fill the glass with crushed ice, and top it up with a good Kentucky straight bourbon, such as Old Grand-dad, or Wild Turkey. Rub the edge of the glass with a mint leaf, and garnish the cocktail with a further sprig of mint.

Traditionally, mint juleps are served in silver or pewter mint julep cups. It's a bit like Guinness served from a silver tankard, I'm convinced that this makes it taste better. Anyhow, they're hard to get in dear ol' Blighty, but I've seen a few on e-bay, at not unreasonable prices, and I'm tempted to splash out on one if I can get my act together.