"The Kentucky Mint Julep" by Colonel Joe Nickell

donna

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Now Florida but always a Kentuckian
Since it is Derby week thought I would post this very interesting little book.

The mint julep is Kentucky's signature drink. "Made with the world's finest bourbon, aged in charred oak barrels that contract and expand with the state's extreme seasonal temperatures, and blended with the pure, iron-free limestone water of the Bluegrass, it is a taste that no other place can duplicate or claim." As the oficial drink of the Kenyucky Derby the mint julep has become synonymous with civilized society and old-time southern hospitality.

Colonel (honorary title of Kentucky Colonel) has spent years researching the julep. In his book, he brings together all types of tidbits about the drink, from the meaning of the word "julep" to a description of Kentucky's famed Bourbon Trail. Along the way, Nickell reveals little-known ancedotes, including how arguments over the proper julep recipe may have caused the Civil War.

The book, "The Kentucky Mint Julep" is a must for Kentuckians, Derby lovers, and anyone who enjoys the South's most famous drink.
 
I thought I had better post why Colonel Nickell had why the Mint Julep was a cause of the Civil War. It is a funny anecdote by Kentucky's humorist Irvin S. Cobb (1876-1944). Cobb's grandfather advanced his own theory on the reason for the War between the States. "Well, down our way we've always had a theory that the Civil War was not brought on by Secession or Slavery or the State's Rights issue", he wrote. "These matters contributed to the quarrel, but there is a deeper reason. It was brought on by some Yankee coming down south and putting nutmeg in a julep. So our folks just up and left the Union flat." (Quoted from "Controversy: No One Agrees on Julep Recipe!", "Lexington Leader", by Bonni Baker, April 29, 1976. Also see "Irvin S. Cobb's "Original Kentucky Mint Julep".)

From: "The Kentucky Mint Julep", Colonel Joe Nickell, The University Press of Kentucky, 2003, page 21.
 
There was no Derby week this year. They are running Derby this Saturday. This is a great little book on the mint julep. We can still celebrate even if no going to the race or Derby parties.
 
Mint is a wonderful addition to one's herbal garden.

But keep the plants within their own area.
If the mint "gets away", it can overtake everything.

Yeah, it smells wonderful after a lawn mower or weed-eater cuts it down,
but mint will return.

Crushing mint and mixing it with sugar, ice & bourbon is a great way to keep it under control.

:smoke:
 
I drink all of my spirits either neat or on the rocks, and I don´t care for cocktails. Except the mint julep. It´s the only one I feel is worth the time to make it. Jim Beam Honey Bourbon makes a wonderful julep.
 
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