Brandy Julep

 

Since both bourbon and brandy are aged in oak, albeit oak from different origins, it stands to reason that a brandy based Mint Julep would be a thing. Making it is similar to the bourbon version as well. The recipe is a little loose since it requires freezing the Julep cup with crushed ice and making a muddled mint simple in the glass. Therefore, exact proportions are not listed. You have to make the ingredients work for you, and being beholden to a specific set of measurements can work against the overall cocktail.

I recommend that you have more than enough simple syrup on hand to get started. You can cap the amount of brandy to about three ounces, but feel free to experiment with that proportion. What you really need is about two trays of crushed ice cubes. This estimate is a little high, but you don't want to come up short.

• brandy (Korbel used)
  
• simple syrup
• 6 mint leaves 
• mint sprig
• confectioner's sugar
• crushed ice

In a metal Julep cup, muddle mint leaves and 1/2 oz. simple syrup. Add crushed ice and churn with a bar spoon while adding brandy. The goal is to mix the ingredients while lowering the temperature of the cup. Add ice and brandy as needed and continue to churn until ice forms on the outside of the Julep cup. The end result should have a mound of fresh crushed ice above the lip of the cup. Garnish with mint sprigs and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

Pirate's Julep

 

If you can make a Mint Julep using rum and Mandarine Napoleon, you should always do it. I understand that Bourbon has a special place in the cocktail world and that it's contribution to the Mint Julep is appreciable. That said, this version of the Julep ticks off two boxes that will make it a hit: it is a tropical tasting classic cocktail that looks and feels perfect when served correctly (i.e. it is a proper Julep), and it makes use of a French liqueur and all the exotic flavors and richness that comes with that.

In order to get this drink right, you have to master the former. Crushed ice and a Julep cup are necessary to complete the Julep experience. The crushed ice melts quickly and absorbs the warmth of the spirits and the metal cup. Condensation freezes on the sides of the cup and it will stick to your hands and the beverage napkin. It is an amazing chilling effect similar to the Swizzle. It is impressive to have a spirits-forward cocktail delivered in such an ice cold package that it is the cold, not the burn, that surprises you.

I crush ice wrapped in a napkin using a meat tenderizer or mallet. Be sure to have lots of ice on hand if you plan to make a few of these, because one tray of ice gets you about one drink.

• 6 mint leaves
• 1 tsp. orgeat or sugar syrup (brown sugar syrup used)
• 2-3 oz. gold rum (Rhum Barbancourt used)
• 1 tsp. Mandarine Napoleon (homemade version used)
• several dashes Peychaud's bitters
• mint sprig powdered sugar

Muddle syrup and mint leaves in the bottom of a metal Julep cup. Spirits and bitters and top with crushed ice. Stir to combine and chill and add ice as needed, continuing to stir until the Julep cup frosts on the outside. Wet the mint sprig in water and dip it into powdered sugar to use as a garnish. 

Sleepy Head

Sleepy Head is a very appropriate name for this and just about any brandy cocktail. They make you tired, for sure. I'm using my mint today, so you can see where this is going--a mint smash of a drinks. Brandy can actually become a very refreshing cocktail when spaced out with ginger ale and flavored with fresh produce. I really recommend chilling all the liquid ingredients if you are making this on a hot day since ice melt is the enemy of this cocktail.

• 3 oz. brandy (Christian Brothers VSOP used.)
• 5 mint leaves
• ginger ale 
• orange twist

Lightly muddle mint and brandy in the bottom of a highball glass. Fill with ice and top with ginger ale. Stir gently land garnish with the orange twist. 

Frozen Mint Julep

I'm not a big fan of frozen drinks. You get a lot of ice melt for all that talk of the drink being frozen. So it's not like this cocktail is especially strong when compared to a classic Mint Julep. There is a bit of charm to it though, and I could see doing it in a cocktail or Hurricane glass to show off the cool color of the blended mint in the ice.

And so I have to say that the frozen preparation of the Julep is not a bad one. The mint blends far better that I thought it would--and it really doesn't if it is blended only in liquid with no ice--and the flavor is pretty true to classic cocktail. Lemon juice changes it a little but is necessary to give the drink thinness.

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• 6-8 mint leaves
• mint sprig

Combine all ingredients except mint sprig with ice in a blender. Blend until smooth and pour into a highball glass (I found a double Old Fashioned glass looked more attractive given the amount this recipe produces.) Garnish with the mint sprig.

Jocose Julep

I've been interested in trying this drink with creme de menthe and bourbon as a more intense sort of Mint Julep. I used to think of it as a quick and dirty way of making a julep, but when you use fresh mint anyway, I was unsure of the point. I guess the thinking is that a Mint Julep has an odd color and presentation when its not served in a julep cup with crushed ice. It has mint bits and uneven brown coloring from sugar and water, so it is kind of unappetizing.

But the name itself implies that this drink is done as a joke, and it sort of is. Whether it is a joke on the drinker or the bartender is up to interpretation. I've never used a blender without ice. I've never used creme de menthe in addition to real mint, and I've never poured a warm mess from a blender over fresh ice. (I did all that and more for this drink--I strained out the mint bits so that the drink remains an attractive and brilliant green.) It makes you laugh when you taste it because you can tell what has been done. It's a Mint Julep with a cold mint snap and a wacky color.

• 3 oz. bourbon
• 1 oz. creme de menthe
• 1 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 5 mint leaves
• sparkling water
• sprig of mint

Blend bourbon, creme de menthe, lime juice and mint leaves in a blender with no ice. Pour into a Collins glass full of ice and top with sparkling water. Garnish with a mint sprig.