Logan R. Brouse, proprietor and mixologist of Logan’s Punch, has run bars and clubs in Shanghai for over six years. In between hangovers, he puts pen to paper in his column for That's to record his pontifications on the drink industry.
“That the mounds of ices, and the bowls of mint julep and sherry cobbler they make in these latitudes, are refreshments never to be thought of afterwards, in summer, by those who would preserve contented minds.”― Charles Dickens, while travelling in America (1842)
I have to say, the mint julep is a mix of some of my favorite things in this world, obnoxious day drinking, seer sucker suits, gangster ass glassware, whiskey, and gambling with a dash of history. Booze is my business and friends, business is good. So pour yourself a nice big glass of something strong, put some Drake on in the background and gird your loins for a trip to the deep American South where we can go break off some classy draanks. Oh, lawdy I do declare we’re gonna get our article swerve on.
Let’s start from the beginning and work our way to the end with this MJ nugget. The cocktail, which is traditionally served in a metal vessel filled with bourbon, mint, sugar and crushed ice, must be held in a specific way. A true mint julep Mack Daddy holds his only by the rim and the bottom with his thumb and pinky, while keeping the other fingers closed in the palm like you’re making the Chinese number six sign.
Gurl, you're holding that mint julep all wrong! Image via Flickr
The reason for this is that the mint julep is meant to be enjoyed ice cold, and if you see some of the hoi polloi just latching onto this delicate southern lady of a drink with their big hands, their body heat will cause the crushed ice in the drink to melt quickly, watering down the drink and getting the mint soggy and basically ushering in all the worst parts of the bible.
Before I go on, no – there is no soda water in a mint fucking julep – that’s some lies from big Mojito to get the consumers confused for a rum takeover, which funny enough plays into this next segue. The original MJ’s were made with either cane sugar hooch or rum in the late colonial period and, until the post-American Civil War era, the julep was any of these. This is because cane sugar and rum were produced in mass during the early days of the Americas and mint was never far away.
But, with any part of cocktail history the facts are often obscure, so like a blind man at an orgy, we’re just going to have to feel things out. In 1938, the mint julep with a bourbon base became the official drink of the Kentucky Derby.
A day at the races calls for a mint julep. Image via Flickr
(It’s unclear when it changed to bourbon but it’s safe to say the folks down in Kentucky knew a good thing when they drank it.)
Let’s get into the words, from living in Shanghai we know ‘Mint’ is anything with a shark tank and DJ Spencer, but what is a ‘julep’? An article in The Atlantic by Adam Chandler states the word is derived “from the ancient Persian word gulab, a type of sweetened rosewater. (If you’ve ever had gulab jamun at an Indian restaurant, it’s made with such syrup.) In classical Arabic, the word became julab, only to cross over into Latin as julapium.”
But Logan, you say, as you drink your fourth martini, “I’m not a nerd, what does this mean to me?” Well, it turns out we’ve been doing MJ’s all wrong this whole time. Instead of the simple recipe of bourbon, crushed ice, sugar and mint, we should have been adding some sort of rosewater to the recipe. This changes the fucking game. Aside from the actual sugar in the drink, the bourbon and mint each give off their own syrupy notes, which is a bit too sweet for my taste. With the addition of the rosewater, however, the balance is restored, the flavors are individually pronounced, and boom goes the dynamite.
Logan's Mint Julep
Perfect to drink on any warm day or whenever drinking in metal cups is necessary or desired.
2 oz. Bourbon Whiskey
0.5 oz Simple Syrup
7 Fresh Mint Leaves
4 Dashes Rosewater (I recommend Bitter Truth)
Crushed Ice
Smack the shit out of that mint with the back of your hand like it owes you money. This wakes up its essential oils and then rub the mint on the inside of the glass. To the same glass, add simple syrup, bourbon, crushed ice and rosewater syrup. Stir. Garnish with more ice and fresh mint.
Read more of Logan's columns.
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