Mint julep recipe attributed to Henry Watterson (1840-1921), Pulitzer Prize-winning editor of The Louisville Courier-Journal, and a Bourbon Babe Kentucky Derby tradition

The impetus for the modern drinking straw was… the mint julep. Tired of his natural rye-grass straw (the standard at the time) shedding in his drink, Marvin Chester Stone patented a wax-and-paper version in 1888. In the 1930s, Joseph B. Friedman improved upon Stone’s idea by creating the bendy straw. And so we discover that something good did come from the mint julep.

SOURCE: The Atlantic

It is slightly less than one month until the Kentucky Derby, which means that people around here are starting to talk about mint juleps. It can be difficult to make a good mint julep; many of them end up way too sweet, or tasting sort of like mouthwash. If that’s been your experience, help is on the way.

Master mixologist Joy Perrine, the “bad girl of bourbon,” will demonstrate how to make the perfect julep from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, at an event called “Juleps: Mint & More” at Locust Grove, 561 Blankenbaker Lane. As the name implies, Joy won’t just focus on the traditional julep - she’ll be making strawberry, pineapple and chocolate juleps too, and you’ll get to sample all four.

In addition, Woodford Reserve master distiller Chris Morris will be there to talk about the juleps served at Churchill Downs on Derby Day, from the ones in the souvenir glasses to the special $1,000 Woodford Reserve Julep. (Woodford is the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby).

The julep event is $30 ($20 for Friends of Locust Grove) and includes light hors d’oeuvres. Call 502-897-9845 to make your reservation. 

You know, the more you type the word “julep,” the weirder it looks. Which, of course, made this English major wonder about its origin. Here’s what Merriam-Webster has to say: “Middle English, from Middle French, from Arabic julāb, from Persian gulāb, from gul rose + āb water. First Known Use: 14th century.”

So there you have it: Rose water. Feel free to drop that bit of trivia at your Derby parties. 

“On Derby Day, you can always tell the tourists from the locals,” Wild Turkey Master Distiller Jimmy Russell tells Esquire magazine. “Once ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ is over, we put down our mint juleps and pick up the bourbon.” Read more here.

Kentucky Colonel mint shot with Hipstamatic app in my backyard, May 3, 2012.

Mint julep recipe attributed to Henry Watterson (1840-1921), Pulitzer Prize-winning editor of The Louisville Courier-Journal. Many juleps will be consumed at Churchill Downs today and tomorrow, the 138th runnings of the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby.

About a week ago, Four Roses held its ninth annual Rose Julep Recipe Contest, open to all local bartenders and mixologists. Above is the winning julep, created by Kyle Tabler of the Village Anchor, who broke the four-year winning streak of Varanese. Some commenters on Four Roses’ Facebook page noted that this sounds more like a recipe for a perfume or a potpourri than for a drink, but keep in mind, this is a contest for professionals who are going for the exotic. (Also keep in mind that last year’s winning recipe involved the boiling of boar bones for the simple syrup - honeysuckle sounds pretty great to me!)

I’ll be on the Belle of Louisville with Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge later this afternoon as we take on the Belle of Cincinnati and the American Queen in the Great Steamboat Race, part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. Watch for updates!

To mark the 75th year that the mint julep has been the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, Woodford Reserve - the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby - is offering 75 special (read: pricey!) mint julep cups for sale.

Through noon (EDT) on May 3, you may visit this site to purchase either the $1,000 “Traditional” cup, pictured above, or the $2,000 “Prestige” cup, which is made of sterling silver plated in 24 karat gold and features a horseshoe set with 43 diamonds equaling approximately one carat. Sixty-five Traditional and 10 Prestige cups will be sold.

You must be present at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 5 to receive your cup, at which time you may enjoy a mint julep prepared with the new Woodford Reserve Double Oaked bourbon; water from Versailles, Kentucky, home of Woodford Reserve, and its namesake city in France; lemon mint from California and Kentucky spearmint; and Bourbon Mint-Julep and Bourbon Vanilla sugars from Louisville’s Bourbon Barrel Foods. 

All proceeds from sales of the Woodford Reserve $1,000 Mint Julep Cup benefit The Heart of a Horse Foundation, a California-based organization that conducts horse rescues and finds homes for retired sport horses.

And so begins the march to the Kentucky Derby. Four Roses will seek the most original mint julep recipe in its ninth annual Rose Julep Recipe Contest on Thursday, April 19, from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Kentucky Derby Museum. Louisville-area mixologists will be evaluated by a panel of food and beverage industry judges at the event, which is free and open to the public.

Guests will be able to tour the Museum’s new Urban Bourbon exhibit, sponsored by Four Roses, and can sample complimentary appetizers and a cash bar featuring Four Roses julep specials.

The winner of the Julep Recipe Contest receives $500, two tickets to the Great Steamboat Race, an engraved silver julep cup and a plaque to display in his or her restaurant. For the past four years, that plaque has gone to Varanese, 2106 Frankfort Ave. Last year’s winning recipe, pictured above, involved boiling boar bones to create a simple syrup - which doesn’t sound simple at all to me!