Countdown to Derby Day: The Mint Julep

Nothing will get you more prepared for the Kentucky Derby than a proper Mint Julep from Miles MacQuarrie of Leon’s.

Image

If the Kentucky Derby is the ultimate Southern carnival for grownups - where the stakes are higher than the Dunk Tank, the horses are real, not tethered to a carousel, and the action’s faster than the Tilt-a-Whirl - then the mint julep is surely the adult Snow-Cone. Instead of a rapidly wilting paper funnel, you’ve got a delicately frosted pewter cup (or, failing that, the small part of a cocktail shaker), and the syrup’s made from freshly muddled mint instead of artificial cherry goo.

?We learned the cocktail-shaker trick from Miles MacQuarrie, the phenom behind the bar at Leon’s in Decatur. If you want to get all fancy about it, the traditional julep cup can be silver etched with some evocative pattern, but you can use an old-fashioned glass in a pinch. Beyond that, try not to take too many liberties - remember, this is the South, where appearances matter as much as what’s on the inside.