BOOK/A TABLE - Mint Juleps for Derby Day

How I love May! When jackets go unbuttoned, lilacs are in bloom and the Kentucky Derby is at hand. And what Derby party would be complete without a Mint Julep in hand? Oooh yes, the Mint Julep—that wicked mistress of the South. She’ll coddle you through an afternoon and then beat you into submission by nightfall.

In New Hampshire, my neighbor Trudy’s annual Kentucky Derby parties were legendary and her juleps were the best I’ve ever tasted. Word is, she was given the somewhat unorthodox recipe from a Kentucky gentleman back in her salad days as a waitress. Somehow, my juleps are never as good as when Trudy made them (the rum, although surprising, is key), but it’s sure fun trying. Apart from any legerdemain, this is what she used to do:

Make simple syrup by boiling one part sugar to two parts water; let cool. Fill a tall Collins glass with crushed ice. Alternate Maker’s Mark (or your favorite Kentucky bourbon) and simple syrup in 1 oz portions, totaling 2 oz bourbon and 3 oz simple syrup. Top with a 1/2 oz floater of Myer's dark rum. Add a mint sprig and insert a straw to sip up the boozy goodness.

Now, you don’t have to wait for Derby Day to enjoy a julep. Just take a cue from F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby. I think this is fabulous: “The notion originated with Daisy’s suggestion that we hire five bathrooms and take cold baths, and then assumed more tangible form as ‘a place to have a mint julep’.”

The Kentucky Derby is always the first Saturday in May—and it falls on the 4th this year. Do enjoy and please ride responsibly!

Next Magazine - Gravy's Mint Julep

With the Kentucky Derby just around the corner, why not get a leg ahead with sipping Gravy’s refreshing take on a classic? I know I'm starting already! Doesn't it look delicious?

Mint Julep

Ingredients:

2.5 oz Jim Beam Devil’s Cut bourbon
splash of simple syrup
4 leaves fresh mint
1 hard dash Angostura bitters
club soda

Directions: 

Combine the first four ingredients in a large cocktail shaker. Fill with ice. Shake violently to partially pulverize ice and mint. Top with a splash of club soda. Strain mixture into a lowball glass packed with ice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Gravy is located at 32 E 21st St (btwn Broadway/Park Ave S). Visit www.GravyNY.com for more info.

 First published in part in Next magazine.

Make Mine Mint

If you've been reading Evenings With Peter you know of my long love affair with the Kentucky Derby. I've thrown a party for years now, barely have ever made a dime on a bet, but on the first Saturday of May I like to offer up a shindig in honor of the run for the roses. Once again we are ready to pull out of the starting gate! I've already started plotting what my table will look like, and shopping for ingredients that will make Mint Juleps, Benedictine Sandwiches, Shrimp & Grits, Corn Bread, Tomato & Biscuit Sandwiches, and Derby Pie for dessert.

As there are so many Julep recipes, here's another one to try out from the folks at Steinhauser, while we celebrate the two most exciting minutes in sports. I just found this tucked in the pages of my Martha Stewart's Menus for Entertaining cookbook that I have filled with other recipes, receipts and other remnants of Derby parties past such as pressed lilac leaves!

Mint Julep
Adapted from Steinhauser
Dissolve 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of water into a Mint Julep glass. Fill with finely shaved ice and 1 1/2 ounce of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, such as Jim Beam. Stir until the glass is heavily frosted and add more ice if necessary. Don't hold the glass while stirring. Garnish with 5 or 6 fresh mint sprigs. The tops should be about 2 inches above the rim of the glass. The mint is meant for fragrance, use a short straw so that you can bury your nose in the mint.

Please ride responsibly.