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Mint Julep Recipe by Rita Schimpff

Heritage-Game-Mounts-Equestrian-Lifestyle-Triple Crown-Mint-Julep

Mint Julep Recipe by Rita Schimpff

2 Cups granulated white sugar

2 Cups water

Fresh mint – my favorite flavor to grow is Kentucky Colonel

Kentucky Bourbon

Crushed ice

Julep cup

Make simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for 5 minutes.  Cool and place in covered container, refrigerate overnight.  Construct each julep one at a time: bruise or muddle 4-5 leaves of mint in the bottom of the cup or glass, fill with crushed ice and add 1 oz of simple syrup and 2 oz of Kentucky Bourbon – stir rapidly to mix and frost cup.  Garnish your mint julep with a sprig of fresh mint and serve with a cloth cocktail napkin.

*note: some recipes call for steeping fresh mint in the hot simple syrup as it cools, I find this gives the syrup a medicinal flavor and prefer to muddle the mint while fresh.

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Sporting Lifestyle: Run for the Roses

The Sporting Lifestyle

It’s that time of year.   Horse racing and the cocktails to go with them!

The Sporting Lifestyle for me is not just hunting, shooting & angling.  But all things outdoors.

It ‘runs’ in the family.

Sporting Lifestyle
“Banner” painted May 1903 by Thomas M. Toher, of whom little is known.

Thomas M. Toher, American painter 1868-1929 was a horse portraitist .

Each year in April I pay homage to the Triple Crown of Racing: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness & the Belmont.

On my bar.

And wait for the 1st Saturday in May.

The Belmont began in 1867

The Preakness in 1873

The Kentucky Derby in 1875

Sporting Lifestyle

With a collection of family memorabilia and vintage barware to make the perfect Mint Julep.

sporting lifestyle
1953 Derby Glass with vintage Napier ‘water bucket’ jigger.

The right ingredients are a must.

I have done my homework and the BEST mint by far is a variety of spearmint called appropriately

‘Kentucky Colonel’.  Some mints can cause the drink to taste medicinal- almost menthol!

sporting lifestyle
‘Kentucky Colonel’ mint- the BEST!

As well as the drinking vessel.

A couple of fine julep cups: 1964 Kentucky Derby & a equestrian motif silver beaker.
A couple of fine julep cups: 1964 Kentucky Derby & a equestrian motif silver beaker.

 

I have my old favorite silver  julep cup and just discovered a beautiful new pewter cup at Ewin’s Dry Goods http://www.ewinsdrygoods.com/products/equestrian-pewter-julep-cup

( they have other VERY  handsome sporting lifestyle gifts as well)

Pewter cup from Erwin's Dry Goods.
Pewter cup from Ewin’s Dry Goods.

 

 

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For more ideas of refreshing cocktails using mint, pop on over to my friend & designer Courtney Price Design and see her recent blog

Top 5 Spring/Summer Cocktails for Entertaining

at http://www.courtneyprice.com