Mint Julep

bourbon - mint

• bourbon

• bunch of fresh spearmint (not peppermint)

• simple syrup

• crushed ice (more pebble less snow)

wash the bunch of mint leaves and as you’re drying them smack them against your hand repeatedly to start releasing the oils

muddle a fistful of mint leaves with 30 ml (2 tbsp) of simple syrup in bottom of julep cup

fill cup halfway with crushed ice

pour in some bourbon and stir

fill the rest of the cup up with ice, lightly packing it down

pour over some more bourbon

garnish with big sprig of mint (not optional) and powdered sugar (optional)

note:

There’s a scene in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof where Big Daddy is arguing with Brick and asks him why he’s so restless and he says he’s waiting for ‘the click’.

Big Daddy: What click?

Brick: A click that I get in my head that makes me peaceful. I got to drink till I get it.

If there ever were a drink that could give that click to you, this is the one. There is something absolutely magical that happens as you drink it. The ice and mint have an almost anesthetic effect, the cold rim of the julep cup numbs your lips, and the bourbon and the sugar melt together with a delicious warmth.

Ultimately it’s not just a drink, it’s an entire sensory experience: the ice cold cup in your hand, the whiff of mint from the garnish every time you sip, the way the flavor changes as everything melts together.

Sometimes another thing happens too. If the alchemy’s just right. If it’s the right time. Like sitting in a rocking chair on the back porch after long hot day of yard work. Or, if you’re Brick, like when you’re slowly self-destructing over the suicide of your homosexual lover Skipper—you’ll get that click in your head that makes you feel peaceful.