Mint Julep & Other Southern Favorites
Kick off the unofficial start to summer with a Mint Julep and southern bites. Fox News’s Lilian Huang Woo speaks chef and authors Virginia Willis, Elizabeth Heiskell and Rob Samuels of Maker’s Mark about drinks and Southern eats as enjoyable in your back yard as trackside.
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2 cups bourbon
Combine the hot tea and sugar in a heatproof bowl; stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemonade concentrate and orange juice concentrate; stir until blended. Let stand until cool, about 1 hour. Stir in the bourbon. Pour the bourbon mixture into a large freezer-safe container, and freeze until almost firm, about 8 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature until partially thawed, about 1 hour. Spoon into glasses, and serve immediately.
Excerpted from What Can I Bring? by Elizabeth Heiskell. Copyright © 2017 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Meredith Corporation. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
“The Perfect Mint Julep”
1 – ˝ parts Maker’s Mark® Bourbon
Fresh mint
2 tablespoons simple syrup* muddled with mint
Splash of distilled water
Powdered sugar
Mint sprig for garnish
1 cup granulated sugar*
1 cup distilled water*
Mix together simple syrup muddled with mint, Maker’s Mark® Bourbon and distilled water. Fill glass with crushed ice and pour mixture over top. Sprinkle top of ice with powdered sugar. Garnish with a mint sprig. *Simple Syrup: Heat to dissolve sugar, stirring constantly so the sugar does not burn. Set aside to cool.
“The Perfect Mint Julep”
(Serves 14-16)
Ingredients:
1 liter Maker’s Mark® Bourbon
Lots of fresh spearmint
Distilled water
Granulated sugar
Powdered sugar
- To prepare the mint extract, remove about 40 small mint leaves – wash and place in a small mixing bowl. Cover with 3 ounces of Maker’s Mark. Allow the leaves to soak for 15 minutes. Then, gather the leaves in a clean, soap-free piece of cotton cloth and vigorously wring the mint bundle over the bowl of whisky. Dip the bundle again and repeat the process several times. Then set aside.
- To prepare the simple syrup, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar and one cup of water in a cooking pot. Heat to dissolve the sugar. Stir constantly so the sugar does not burn. Set aside to cool.
- To prepare the mint julep mixture, pour 3 ˝ cups of Maker’s Mark into a large glass bowl or glass pitcher. (Pour the remaining whisky from the liter bottle into another container and save it for another purpose). Add 1 cup of the simple syrup to the Maker’s Mark.
- Now, begin adding the mint extract a tablespoon at a time to the julep mixture. Each batch of mint extract is different, so you must taste and smell after each tablespoon is added. You may have to leave the room a time or two to clear your nose. The tendency is to use too much mint. You are looking for a soft mint aroma and taste – generally about 3 tablespoons.
- When you think it’s right, pour the whole mixture back into the empty liter bottle and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours to “marry” the flavors.
- To serve the mint julep, fill each glass (preferably a silver mint julep cup) half full with shaved ice. Insert a sprig of mint and then pack in more ice to about an inch over the top of the cup. Then, insert a straw that has been cut to one inch above the top of the cup so the nose is forced close to the mint when sipping the julep.
- When frost forms on the cup, pour the refrigerated julep mixture over the ice, add a sprinkle of powdered sugar to the top of the ice and serve.
