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If you can't quite make it to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby this weekend, you can always put on a crazy hat and whip up a batch of Mint Juleps at home. It's just like being at the Derby, except without the horse-smell and Donald Trump.
Some recipes call for muddled mint, Mojito style (like the excellent julep in this picture from Farmer Brown), but my favorite juleps take a bit of extra work.
Mint Julep
- 3 parts whiskey or bourbon, preferably Woodford Reserve, or Maker's Mark
- 1 part mint syrup
- Finely crushed ice
- Mint for garnish
Fill a glass with ice. Add whiskey and syrup, give a quick stir, and garnish with a mint leaf.
Mint Syrup
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 handfull of fresh mint
Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan over a medium flame, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Add mint, and let cool. Place syrup mixture in refrigerator for 24 hours to allow the mint to infuse into the syrup. Strain out the mint and discard.
Syrup will keep, refrigerated, for 10 days.
