The Honey Chocolate Mint Julep

Posted on January 15, 2013

Mint Juleps can be found in all bastardizations and shapes of deformity these days. Normally, debates about the “proper” way to construct a cocktail bore us, favoring instead to make what tastes best, but in the case of the Mint Julep, it’s fair to decry the surprising additions of Sprite and the lime-toothpaste-colored chemical fluid that flows out of Disneyland’s New Orleans Square. We can draw on some basic principles of the traditional Mint Julep, and then embellish as we want to—in this case, with Massey Honey.

The good news is that old-fashioned New Orleans drinks are pleasantly simple. They’re characterized by their sweetness, their coldness, their whiskey, and their alcoholic force. Imagine a plump old-timer, donning a tan vest, unbuttoned, weighting down his oak bar stool, sweating a little and smiling at a pretty lady in a hot New Orleans hotel. His Mint Julep is the one we want to make.

We make two alterations to the traditional recipe. The first is the use of honey syrup instead of sugar, and the second, to compliment the honey, is chocolate mint. If you’ve never had chocolate mint, it’s a remarkable herb—tastes mostly like spearmint but smells like chocolate. If you can’t find it (it is pretty common),
just use whatever mint you have. The best Mint Julep recipes we’ve tried combine a ton of mint and a little sweetener in a glass, filled with crushed ice, and bourbon then poured over the top of the ice, kind of swirling it around when it hits the bottom to blend.

Ingredients:
3 oz. of bourbon (the best Julep we’ve had was made with Blanton’s, an especially puckery one)
1 oz. honey syrup (see recipe at the bottom of the Honey Bourbon Sour)
12-15 chocolate mint leaves
crushed ice

Choose an unassuming serving glass. Mint Juleps are often served in metal cups, but a tumbler or goblet will work fine. Place the mint and honey syrup in the glass and muddle well, avoiding tearing the mint up too much (use the butt of a wooden spoon if you don’t have a muddler). Fill the glass with crushed ice, forming a dome on the top. If you don’t have a crushed ice maker, wrap cubes in a towel and pound them with a meat tenderizer; don’t be fussy about the consistency. Next slowly pour the bourbon over the top of the ice, and garnish with some more mint. Use a straw if you’re feeling lucky. Enjoy.

-MHC