Mint julep

The mint julep is an alcoholic drink built around bourbon, sugar, water, crushed or shaved ice, and fresh mint. Because it uses bourbon, it is tied to the American South and Southern cuisine, most famously as a symbol of the Kentucky Derby.

To make a mint julep the traditional way, you need mint leaves, bourbon, simple syrup, and crushed ice. In Southern states, especially Kentucky, spearmint is the preferred mint. Bartenders often disagree on the best method, as techniques vary widely. The drink belongs to a loose family of cocktails called "smashes," which includes the brandy smash and the mojito. In these drinks, fresh mint and other ingredients are muddled or crushed to release essential oils and juices, boosting the flavor. Traditionally, mint juleps are served in silver or pewter cups, held only by the top and bottom edges so frost can form on the outside. This grip may have started as a way to keep hand heat from warming the metal. Today, they are usually served in a tall old-fashioned glass, Collins glass, or highball glass with a straw.

The word "julep" comes from the Spanish "julepe," which traces back through Spanish Arabic to the Persian word "Golâb," meaning rosewater. It generally means a sweet drink, often used to deliver medicine. Early English juleps were mostly medicinal, lightly alcoholic, and sometimes contained camphor. The mint julep itself originated in the Southern United States, likely in the 1700s. The earliest known mentions are from 1770: a satirical play by Robert Munford called *The Candidate* features a drunkard named "Mr. Julip," and a poem in the Williamsburg *Virginia Gazette* describes julep as a concoction "Which doctors storm at, and which some adore." In 1784, *Medical communications* prescribed a mint julep for a patient with nausea and difficulty swallowing. In 1793, Rev. Harry Toulmin described it as "a tumbler of rum and water, well sweetened, with a slip of mint in it." John Davis's 1803 book, published in London, called it "a dram of spirituous liquor that has mint steeped in it, taken by Virginians of a morning." Virginia taverns like J. Pryor's Haymarket Inn in Richmond added ice-houses in the 1780s, and the first mention of an "Iced Julep" appeared on May 4, 1807, in an ad for the Wig-Wam Gardens in Norfolk. U.S.