Kentucky Derby 2016: What’s the deal with the mint julep?

First and foremost, let’s set the record straight -- the mint julep did not find its start in the state of Kentucky or at Churchill Downs. In fact, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Robert F. Moss, author of the cocktail history book Southern Spirits: Four Hundred Years of Drinking in the American South, the drink began its life as a medicinal concoction of brandy, sugar and eventually mint. Those origins apparently have roots in Virginia.

Kentucky first snuck into the picture when a cognac and brandy shortage in the mid-1830s left thirsty cocktail makers wondering what to use as the base of the mint julep. Bourbon, it seemed, was still widely available. Then came the addition of crushed ice. A star, you see, was born.

But how, you ask, does that equate to the Kentucky Derby? Well, we’ll let the folks at the AJC explain:

Simply put, propaganda involving sweeping verandas, Colonel Sanders-like characters, pretty girls and a bourbon industry needing a boost in the years following Prohibition. The mint julep was waning in popularity by the beginning of the 20th century, having fallen out of fashion with city folks as it migrated to the country and plantations with their own ice houses. In 1936, Kentucky author and humorist, Irvin S. Cobb, told tale of his “old Kentucky home” in his cocktail page-turner, “Irvin S. Cobb’s Own Recipe Book,” for the purposes of boosting bourbon sales. Cobb evoked images of beautiful belles blissfully sitting on large, white porches while gentlemen sipped concoctions like mint juleps on a warm summer day. The mint julep finally made Kentucky its forever home in 1938 when Churchill Downs named it the official drink of the Kentucky Derby and the rest, as they say, is history.

These days at Churchill Downs, nearly 120,000 mint juleps are sold over the Kentucky Derby weekend.

So you ready to tip back this famous drink? Then the Business Insider insists you make it the correct way, which they say is the Walker Percy way. Percy, a southern novelist and essayist who died in 1990, included this recipe in one of his essays:

You need excellent Bourbon whiskey; rye or Scotch will not do. Put half an inch of sugar in the bottom of glass and merely dampen it with water. Next, very quickly — and here is the trick in the procedure — crush your ice, actually powder it, preferably in a towel with a wooden mallet, so quickly that it remains dry, and, slipping two sprigs of fresh mint against the inside of the glass, cram the ice right to the brim, packing it with your hand. Finally, fill the glass, which apparently has no room left for anything else, with Bourbon, the older the better, and grate a bit of nutmeg on the top. The glass will frost immediately. Then settle back in your chair for half an hour of cumulative bliss.

What if the mint julep just isn’t your -- uh -- cup of tea? Well, here are some other drinks we’d suggest you try, all perfectly capable of wetting your whistle.

The Sweet Tea
You take some tea, some whiskey, some simple syrup and bit of lemon juice and ice and you’ve got an adult version of the South’s favorite sweet drink. Full recipe here, via Leite’s Culinaria.

The Brown Derby
Simple, yet awesome. You really can’t go wrong with it if you’re a whiskey or bourbon fan. Honestly, the best version is one made with some quality Scotch whiskey, but sometimes it is blasphemy to ruin that with a mix, isn’t it? Anyway, you take some whiskey or bourbon, add in grapefruit juice and some honey syrup and shake with ice. Enjoy! Full recipe here, via the Cold Glass.

The Horsecar
Rye. Vermouth. Dry vermouth. Orange bitters. Maraschino cherry. That’s it. Not too sweet, but still a lovely drink to sip on a hot summer day. Or any day, for that matter. Full recipe here, via Saveur.

The Old Fashioned
Last, but not least (and in honor of our SB Nation horse racing expert Kurt Mensching), we give you the Old Fashioned. This baby just doesn’t get enough attention in today’s drinking world, though the show Mad Men did its best to drag it back to popularity. You take a sugar cube, Angostura bitters, a little bit of club soda and some rye whiskey with an ice cube. Use an Old Fashioned glass if you have one. Or not. It’s easy to make. It’s delicious. Just drink it and find out. Full recipe here, via Esquire.
Beer
To hell with it. Why mix something when you can just pop the top off a cold brew and sit back and relax. We’re talking about horse racing here, not rubbing elbows with the President of the United States. Be a craft beer snob or not. It’s up to you. That’s the beauty of beer, my friend.

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