JIM BEAM’S MINT JULEP

Jim Beam's Mint Julep

By Louis Rice

The following recipe for Mint Juleps was given to me by Booker Noe, Jim Beam's grandson. It produces juleps on par with the recipe given to me by Bill Samuels of Maker's Mark, but it is much less labor intensive.

There are six essential ingredients for a proper mint julep:

• good 90 proof bourbon whisky (I prefer Maker's Mark), 

• sugar, 

• fresh mint leaves, 

• metal cups (preferably silver), 

• short straws, and 

• shaved ice (the kind snow cones are made with).

Once these accouterment have been assembled, you are ready to proceed.

You cannot make just one mint julep and have it taste worth a damn. You must make them in batches. What follows is a recipe for one quart and change. Multiply accordingly for a big party.

Pick a bunch (enough to fill a quart-size bowl) of dime to quarter sized mint leaves - but no stems; they're bitter. Wash the leaves and pat dry.

Now prepare some simple syrup by combining two cups sugar to one cup water in a saucepan and heating over medium heat until it turns crystal clear. Do not let it boil, which causes the sugar to caramelize and ruins the whole wretched mess. Pour the simple syrup over the mint leaves in the bowl and let it steep like tea for 10-15 minutes (longer can't hurt).

Now you're ready to make julep. Pour a quart of whisky into a non-plastic container that holds more than a quart. Add four ounces of mint flavored simple syrup to the quart of whisky, and stir well. Put the resulting mixture back into the whisky bottle, cap tightly, and refrigerate for 24 hours. (Since you've mixed a quart of whisky with four ounces of syrup, you'll have four ounces of julep that won't fit into the bottle. The obvious solution: drink it!)

Next day, pack a metal cup with shaved ice. Cut a plastic straw so that the end extends no more than two inches above the rim of the cup. Shove the straw down into the shaved ice, and fill the cup with julep. Remove the straw and place a large sprig of mint in the hole where the straw was. (You won't be able to get the mint through the ice otherwise.) Replace the straw, sip and enjoy. Your nose should be right down in the mint leaves for full enjoyment. Be sure to put a cocktail napkin around the cup, because it will soon be too cold to hold.

The mixed up julep can be refrigerated for up to a year, and the syrup can be refrigerated for three or four months.