Celebrate Kentucky Derby Season with a Pappy Mint Julep
Much has been said about the Mint Julep, a cocktail so iconic as to simultaneously represent a spirit, a city, a historic sporting event, and even southern hospitality itself. Though perhaps because they are so delightful to enjoy, it makes their entire folklore a little harder to grasp. With a lineage and history as muddled as the bruised mint leaves responsible for the namesake flavor, like every desirable stand-out element (or guest) at a party, it has a pretty interesting past.
As the story goes, it was originally concocted in the Middle East as a natural pain reliever, somehow found itself being enjoyed as a morning ritual in the Deep South, transformed itself into the ideal of Southern hospitality, and became one of the most iconic symbols of the equally historic Kentucky Derby. Pretty impressive for a little cocktail crafted of pebbled ice, bourbon, simple syrup, and humble sprigs of mint.
Never one to shy away from fully embracing tradition, the Kentucky Derby cemented their place in Derby history as the official drink of the first Saturday in May, when they served them in keepsake julep cups in 1939. While they are recorded as having been served at the Kentucky Derby as far back as 1875, they are now said to serve over 120,000 of these frosty cocktails on Derby Day alone.
It makes sense that this refreshingly minty and sweet cocktail that relies on Kentucky’s other most famous export, bourbon, is served in the potentially stifling heat of a Kentucky spring in a frosty glass. It makes for a visually stunning and deliciously enjoyable cocktail that more than deserves its distinguished status as one of the most famous cocktails in the world.
While many recipe variations exist, we have stayed faithful to Pappy’s recipe for our Mint Julep, served at his famous Mint Julep brunches and iconic Derby parties , with just a touch of our own Pappy & Company flavor. We have found that this recipe delivers the ideal combination of naturally oaky Pappy Van Winkle bourbon-infused sweetness from our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pure Maple Syrup, which intrinsically complements the bourbon in the cocktail, with freshly muddled mint and crushed ice.
To enhance your enjoyment of this legendary cocktail, we’ve honed our bar tools and gourmet offerings over the years in order to deliver the most authentically Pappy version of a Mint Julep.
What you need to make a Pappy Mint Julep:
The Cup:
We love our classic collection of sterling silver Mint Julep cups. A traditional gift for birthdays, graduations, baptisms, and weddings in the South, they are also passed down through generations. We have a shared collection of heirloom Mint Julep cups, bearing either the initials of our grandparents or great-grandparents or the awards that were bestowed upon them. For a modern and elegant Mint Julep, we created the Van Winkle Cup, part of our Everyday Heirlooms Collection with Thompson Traders. Crafted in solid brass, the Van Winkle Cup is a less formal, yet still traditional, gorgeous and versatile cup that makes an ideal receptacle for a frosty Mint Julep.
The Muddler:
For such a full-flavored cocktail, the steps are surprisingly simple, which makes adhering to their tradition that much more important. Starting with the distinctive herb behind the name, a perfectly crafted Mint Julep requires flawlessly muddled mint. We’ve wanted to make our own muddler for years, one crafted to beautifully represent the legacy of Pappy Van Winkle, achieve the ideal pressure for muddling ingredients, and be attractive enough to leave on the bar. Our Bourbon Barrel Muddler was designed to do just that. Hand-crafted by Pappy & Company’s in-house craftsman, Jason Cohen, using genuine retired Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel Staves, each muddler is as unique as the barrel stave it originated from.
The Stirrer: Elegant and refined, the stirrer is a retro bar accessory that belongs on your bar today. An ideal tool for mixing craft cocktails, our Katie Van Sipping Spoon also looks gorgeous as you serve your guests with an invitation to stir, sip and savor. Named after one of our primary inspirations for the entire collection, our grandmother Kate Van Winkle, this stirrer/spoon/straw combination is part of our Everyday Heirlooms Collectionwith Thomspon Traders. Use it to combine the ingredients for a freshly mixed Mint Julep.
The Napkin: No bar representing true hospitality would be complete without the ultimate southern accessory, the cocktail napkin. Our Embroidered Cocktail Napkin is modeled after a favorite linen napkin that was always on our grandparent’s bar, gone soft with time and use, it was an elegant invitation for guests to truly indulge in their proffered entertainment. In a linen-cotton blend, with a delightful scalloped edge and embroidered with our Pappy & Company keys logo, this cocktail napkin is the ideal accessory for a cold Mint Julep on Derby Day.
The Jigger:
Our Julian Jigger is an exact replica of our dad, Julian Van Winkle’s, beloved silver jigger. While his silver jigger was passed down by his grandfather, Pappy Van Winkle, our Julian Jigger, from our Everyday Heirlooms Collection, was designed in an updated solid brass and promises a perfectly measured cocktail with every pour.
If you are like us, you will simply pluck fresh mint out of your garden on Derby Day. It isn’t uncommon to see Louisvillians mucking about in their yard on Derby weekend, before they dress in their Derby Day finery and enormous hats, seeking out the freshest sprigs of mint to make their Derby Day Mint Juleps.
While Mint Juleps are known for their sweetness as much as their distinct mint flavor, owing to the straight sugar or simple syrup the recipes calls for - we have found that our best Pappy-fied version of a Mint Julep simply requires a drizzle of our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon-Barrel Aged Pure Maple Syrup for the right balance of sweet minty flavor. Especially one that reflects the inherent notes of Bourbon the Mint Julep celebrates and relies on.
