We're laying 2:1 odds that some pal of yours has been champing at the bit to trot out that chestnut ever since Big Brown galloped toward destiny last Derby Day. And sure, you hooted, hollered, maybe even donned a big, fancy hat and welled up a little but honestly, did you watch even one other horse race in '08? Chances are, you were there for the mint juleps.
If you are there -- as in Churchill Downs -- for the juleps, you'll be in the hands of of the track's Executive Chef Joseph "Jo-Jo" Doyle, and that ain't a bad place to be at all. The 34-year-old chef isn't a Kentuckian by birth, but tells Slashfood that the cuisine of his Mobile, AL and New Orleans upbringing prepped him for making traditional Bluegrass fare.
Hear more from Chef Doyle and get traditional Kentucky Benedictine and Bourbon Slush recipes after the jump.
With Derby Day racing round the bend and summer hot on its tail, it's mint julep time. Considering the current rage for infusing one's booze, it's only natural to combine bourbon with mint before the two even hit a glass.
Some folks just toss the two together, steeping a few handfuls of leaves in a glass jar. Here's a slightly more precise recipe: Combine about 2 cups loosely packed mint leaves with 3 cups of bourbon, cap tightly and let sit for 4 to 5 days. If short on time, steep overnight (though another cupful of leaves will be necessary -- perhaps more if a very minty taste is desired). Once the liquor is infused, it's a quick jump to mint julep time: Just mix with simple syrup and pour over crushed ice, no messy muddling required. Some prefer to combine liquor, mint and sugar for an all-in-one infusion, but this mint-only rendition allows more flexibility for various levels of sweet tooths. The concoction also makes for a fine Jack n' Ginger (be wary of bourbon purists!), or an excellent Manhattan.
OK, OK, so we're a littleobsessed with bourbon right now. But Derby Day is just around the corner, the sun is starting to make a cameo and, well, bourbon is absurdly delicious.
While at a whiskey-and-barbecue eatery the other night, the bartender stopped short when he heard me order Woodford Reserve, mistaking me for some high-rolling aficionado (I'm new to the cult and have never even tried Pappy Van Winkle). "You like bourbon?" he asked, smiling. With a flourish, he produced this bottle of Vintage 17-year-old bourbon. I laughed when I saw it. Look at that photo! It was like someone saying, "You know what's a high-quality nail polish?" and dramatically presenting you with an old bottle of cherry-red Wet & Wild with its insanely '80s script. How could this be tasty stuff?
One sip shut me straight up. My companion crowed, "It's incredible! It coats the palate with caramel!" All I could muster after a long day writing about food was a sober, "Yeah," and a deep sigh -- the sigh of a woman who had just acquired a very expensive new habit.
Do not come between a Southern gent and his bourbon.
We learned this lesson at a recent NYC party when we observed a Mississippi native seize a bottle of Knob Creek, shake its last drops angrily into a cup and grab a bottle of pricey, small-batch Woodford Reserve only to be outraged to find this also nearly gone. "I knew I should have hidden the good stuff from these people!" he shouted, shaking his fist at the guests he'd invited to his home.
The cause of this maniacal outburst from a mild-mannered gent? Bourbon, and the thought of mixing it with store-bought gingerale. A wide-eyed belle from Jersey had ordered up a whiskey-and-ginger. Since only his finest was left, he delivered the bourbon abomination with a sigh, grumbling about "corn syrup on beautiful whiskey" in a thick accent en route.
Making a whiskey-n-ginger with the best bourbon in the house is where we -- who have certainly enjoyed a Jameson 'n ginger or (hic!) three -- would draw the line. But what does Chris Morris, master distiller at Woodford Reserve (the official whiskey of Derby Day) think?
Slashfood: "A party guest wants to combine supermarket gingerale with your excellent bourbon. Do you flip out?
Morris: "To be quite honest, I think whisky and gingerale is a great drink. Woodford Reserve has hints of ginger and a nice little citrus note and goes well with gingerale, a classic highball. Our response to anybody who thinks it's an insult is the question, 'Well, do you enjoy it?' If the answer is 'yes,' it's perfectly all right. We want make a great first impression, so if that person is a gingerale highball drinker, what better way than with Woodford Reserve in place of your regular bourbon?"
Burgoo is a traditional Kentucky stew of multiple meats (at least three) and a bounty of veggies simmered down for hours until they break down to a uniform consistency. The standard sentiment is that if you can still make out an okra pod or slice of carrot, keep cooking 'cause it ain't burgoo yet -- but as the dish is usually made in such massive quantities (we're talking GALLONS), most regular utensils will just sink down into the mire.
So - what's a burgoo chef to do? Well, many Kentucky restaurants rely on 2x4 studs, and folks at community cookouts and church festivals often use rakes to stir the stuff while perched above on chairs as they tend giant pots set over open wood fires. The flavor and texture are said to be reminiscent of mulligan stew, and my North Carolina born husband swears it's a kissing cousin to Brunswick stew, but the guests at our yearly Kentucky Derby soiree have taken to calling it "The Liquid Meat." That is, when their mouths aren't crammed full of the 'goo.
I know the Kentucky Derby was last month, and by some measures the venerable Mint Julep only crosses our radar then and then only. But when the day is hot and the thirst is mighty, I'd strongly suggest banging out a Julep. In continuing with the mint in cocktails theme, I'd like to cobble together a love letter of sorts to perhaps America's most iconic cocktail. . . an ode to the Mint Julep, in quotes and in a video link:
"They say that you may always know the grave of a Virginian as, from the quantity of julep he has drunk, mint invariably springs up where he has been buried." Frederick Marryat, 1839
"....that the mounds of ices, and the bowls of mint-julep and sherry cobbler they make in these latitudes, are refreshments never to be thought of afterwards, in summer, by those who would preserve contented minds." Charles Dickens, while traveling in America, 1842
"If the mark of a great cocktail is the number of unbreakable rules it generates, then the mint julep may be America's preeminent classic, edging out the martini in a photo finish. William Grimes, 'Straight Up Or On The Rocks'
We've seen mint juleps here on Slashfood before. There's a mint julep flavored soda and the 132nd Kentucky Derby will serving ooh-la-la $1,000 mint juleps on Derby Day. If you'll be betting on watching the races from home, you can mix up a proper mint julep at your own home bar. But first, a little bit of historical trivia, or trivial history.
The mint julep, though most popularly associated with the Kentucky Derby, wasn't invented by some bartender mixing drinks track-side. The cocktail was first appeared officially in 1803 when it was described as a "dram of spirituous liquor that has mint in it, taken by Virginians in the morning." However, the mint julep's history may go back even a century before that to the early 1700s. Mint juleps today are made with Bourbon, but the first mint juleps were likely made with rye whiskey or rum (in which case, doesn't that make it a mojito?!?!).
To make a mint julep, start with a silver cup, which is frosted over. If you don't have a silver cup, a regular tumbler is fine. Some recipes call for a simple syrup, and others have mint leaves muddled with granulated sugar. If you're using granulated sugar, muddle fresh mint leaves in the bottom of the glass with 1 tsp. sugar. Add crushed ice, the pour in 3 oz. Bourbon.
If you plan ahead, you can prepare the simple-syrup version of the mint julep. Bring equal parts sugar and water to a boil and completely dissolve sugar. Add a handful of mint leaves to the syrup, then chill syrup overnight. To make the mint juleps, place crushed ice in glass, add 1 Tbsp. of the chilled mint syrup, and pour in 2 oz. Bourbon.
Burgoo who?
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