The epitome of Derby libations is, without question, the mint julep. A friend of mine, Christo, recently pointed out to me that the julep can be more than bourbon, sugar, water, mint and ice, though. I looked up the definition of “julep”, and, sure enough, it’s just a drink of sweet syrup, flavoring and water, or liquor and sugar poured over ice and garnished with mint.
So there are plenty of julep recipes, but the king of the Kentucky Derby is still the mint julep. What’s more Kentucky than bourbon, anyway? And I am definitely a fan of mint juleps.
If you’ve been reading Livefire recently, I’ve been trying a variation on the mint julep that starts with infusing bourbon with pecan, trying different timing on the infusion. It only took a couple of days to come to the conclusion that 1 day is the right time. The first day allows a very nice, nutty pecan flavor to add to the bourbon-y goodness. Typically, simple syrup is used, too, which is white sugar dissolved in water. Instead, I use Maguey Sweet Sap, a raw sap with nutritional value including protein that has a deeper flavor than sugar, more like a high-grade light molasses. Whether you prefer your mint julep with simple syrup of Maguey Sweet Sap is somewhat up to personal taste. I chose it because 1. I like the flavor and 2. it’s organic and much less processes. Another choice might be to use an organic turbinado sugar to make a simple syrup.
via:http://livefireonline.com/2014/04/13/derby-day-step-3-the-julep-trials-are-over/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+buckymcoinkumsbbq%2FTDGJ+%28Bucky%27s+Barbecue+and+Bread%29
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