Fresh Mint Juleps- It's Derby Day!
I have always LOVED The Kentucky Derby! Honestly, I’ve been obsessed ever since I can remember. While I have mixed feelings about horse racing in general, I have always been a horse-girl. I’ve been riding since I was old enough to walk and horses have been one of the constants throughout my life at every age. The Derby has always enchanted me with it’s style, the hats, the whole event. To celebrate my last milestone birthday, which was one of those big ones with a ‘0’ on the end (and it was not 30), my dream was to go to the Derby. We did and it was everything I hoped it would be.
I was actually super nervous about it. Would it live up to the fantasy I had envisioned it would be, for literally my entire life? It was one of those magical moments where it was so much more than I could have hoped. I loved every minute of that day, the sticky Kentucky heat mixed with thunderstorms, mint juleps, and impressive hats. When the horses emerged onto the track and ‘My Old Kentucky Home' starting playing, I just lost it, the whole cumulative emotion of thinking about this very moment for decades washed over me, and the tears started flowing. But I pulled it together enough to actually see the race (all 2 minutes of it) and the 3 horses I picked even won, in order of 1-2-3. So, I even won a pretty decent amount of money! It was a bucket-list item for me and a once in a lifetime experience. If you ever have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it!
In memory of that day, I will always tune in every year on the first Saturday in May to watch the horses, with mint julep in hand. The recipe below is my fresh, and less sweet, take on the classic drink. Even though this year’s race has been postponed (due to Covid-19) until Sept 5th, I intend to still wear my hat and drink my julep regardless on the first Saturday this May, and again on September 5th as well. I hope you do too!
Fresh Mint & Lime Julep
Yields 2 drinks
Ingredients
20 mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
1 TB superfine sugar
2 TB lime juice
Seltzer Water
Crushed Ice
4 oz Kentucky Bourbon ( I like Buffalo Trace)
Method
Place the mint leaves in the bottom of 2 old-fashioned glasses top with the sugar & lime juice. Muddle these together until the leaves begin to break down. Add a splash of seltzer water, fill the glass 3/4 full with crushed ice, and add the bourbon. Top with another splash of seltzer, stir, and garnish with a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.
