CLASSIC MINT JULEPS (8 drinks)

In Kentucky it’s heresy to serve mint juleps in anything other than a silver cup, the ice should be shaved, not crushed and the mint should be absolutely fresh.  So, y’all, dust off your bonnets and bow ties and you’re off to the races! 

1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) bourbon or sour mash whiskey

8 teaspoons superfine granulated sugar, or to taste

1 cup fresh mint leaves

12 cups crushed ice

fresh mint sprigs to garnish

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1.   Stir together bourbon and 4 teaspoons sugar untril the sugar is dissolved.  Lightly crush mint leaves with remaining 4 teaspoons sugar in a metal bowl with the back of a spoon until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.  Add 4 cups crushed ice, then add ¾ cup bourbon mixture and stir well.

2.   Divide mixture among 8 (12 ounce) glasses with a ladle.  Add enough of the remaining 8 cups ice to  almost fill glasses, then add remaining ¾ cup bourbon and stir well.

from Gourmet Magazine, August 20, 2004 

THE ROUGH RIDERS MINT JULEP (1 drink)

No true Kentuckian would have tolerated President Teddy Roosevelt’s mint julep recipe, which replaces bourbon with rye whiskey and a dash of brandy…..

10 to 12 fresh mint leaves “muddled” (until it resembles paste) with a splash of water and a sugar cube

2 to 3 ounces rye whiskey

.25 ounce brandy

1 to 2 sprigs fresh mint as a garnish

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1.   First fill a bar glass (TR probably would not mind if you substituted the classic silver goblet  here) with the muddled mint, then fill the glass generously with finely crushed ice.  Top off with the rye, brandy and mint garnish.

from Mark Will-Weber, Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt:  The Complete History of Presidential Drinking