If you follow the history of Juleps all the way back, you can see them first emerge around 900 A.D. and they emerged as a medicinal drink. Actually for a lot of their early history they were considered and referred to as medicine. It wasn’t until the late 1700’s in America that the tide began to change and the Julep was something that went from being a drink given for specific ailments to one that was drunk for fun. This early Juleps actually tended to resemble a Sling more than anything else but in 1802 is the first recorded evidence of Mint going into the Julep and even then it was referred to as a “Mint Sling.” According to David Wondrich there was a time when “people fought the good fight and called a Sling a Sling, but by the 1920’s it had become a Julep for good.”
The Prescription Julep was first Published in serial Harper’s Monthly ran in 1857 titled “A Winter in The South.” Although I have tasted a lot of Julep variations in my day this one is one of the tastiest for my money. The Cognac mellows the rye a bit and the Rye gives the Cognac a bit of spice. A win win for the drink and as the imbibers for us too!
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Here’s links to the tools I use in this episode:
Barfly Copper Julep Cup
Barfly Copper Measuring Cup
Barfly Teardrop Spoon
Barfly Wood Muddler
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Prescription Julep
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Brandy or VSOP Cognac
- 1 oz Rye Whiskey
- .25 oz Simple Syrup
- 6-8 Mint Leaves
- 1 Sugar Cube
Garnish
Instructions
- Add ingredients to Julep Cup
- Lightly muddle to express oils and flavor. NOTE: You don’t want to muddle to hard or you will release the bitter elements of the leaves.
- Add crushed ice
- Light stir to combine ingredients
- Add crushed ice snow cap
- Garnish with Fresh Mint Sprig
