Julep (Generic Name)
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Ingredients
How to make
Serve in a collins glass
- 1 Lightly MUDDLE mint leaves with spirit in base of shaker (just enough to bruise)
- 2 (At this stage, if time allows, you should refrigerate the shaker, mint and spirit, and the glass in which the drink is to be served, for at least two hours.) Add other ingredients to shaker, SHAKE with ice and strain into glass filled with crushed ice
- 3 CHURN (stir) the drink with the crushed ice using a bar spoon
- 4 Top with more crushed ice to fill glass and churn again
- 5 Serve with straws.
History
This drink is best served ice cold, allowing mint flavours to marry with the spirit. Juleps should ideally be prepared hours ahead. Adjust sugar to balance if using fortified wine instead of spirit.
Generally served in Collins glasses or, ideally, in julep cups, juleps are tall drinks built on a base of spirit, liqueur, or fortified wine. They most often feature fresh mint served over crushed ice. The name "julep" ultimately comes from the Arabic word "julab," which originally signified rosewater. This term was applied to any sweetened beverage, even including medicines. The Julep is believed to have originated in Persia, eventually making its way to Europe, possibly Southern France, where rose petals were replaced with native mint. The drink is then thought to have crossed the Atlantic, with cognac giving way to peach brandy and then whiskey, resulting in the recognizable Mint Julep of today. Julep history