You would be forgiven if you were slightly confused – The Kentucky Derby would seem like a perfectly fine day to honor this drink. Perhaps gamblers finally sobered up after their losses that day and decided to celebrate the beverage. The American word ‘julep‘ can be traced to French julep, which comes from the Arabic julab, which is from the Persian julab, meaning ‘rose water.’ The drink as we know it today is an American invention. Maybe you need one after having to follow along.
Famous writers drank mint juleps and wrote them into their works. William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway partook of the libations, and they are mentioned in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, and Hunter S. Thompson’s The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved. The classic mint julep as made in Kentucky, starts with a chilled silver mug or goblet filled with crushed ice. Dissolve 1 lump of sugar in a little water, fill mug with bourbon, add the dissolved sugar and stir well. Place 4 or 5 sprigs of fresh mint down into the ice. Whatever the reason, make yourself a tall frosty one and celebrate the start of the summer season.
The Haus of Dcaligari 