1908 The World's Drinks and How to Miw Them by Hon Wm Boothby (1st edition)

65

MlSCELTulliEOUS DRINKS.

261

MINT JULEP.

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A LA JOHN 'Y BRACE, NEW YORK CITY. THE NEW STYLE.

Fill a large goblet with fin e ice and pom a jigger of cognac over it; then take several sprigs of youug, tender min t aucl place them in a medium– size mixing-glass with a clessertspoonful of bar sugar anu just enough seltzer to nearly fill the goblet, in whicli you have already placed the fine ice and brandy. Press the mint with a muddler until the sugar is all dissolved and the water is well flavored with mint, strain iuto the goblet of ice and brandy, clash with J amaica rum, orn ament with fruit 11 and a few sprigs of mint which have been moistened an d dipped in sugar, and serve with straws. Great care should be used in selecting the very young tender shoots of the mint as the old shoots and leaves have a rauk bitter taste aud a re there– fore worthless for making a delicately flavored julep. This f amous clecoction was christened by a Southern gentleman who was a great admirer of Shakespeare's works, a nd who, upou an occasion of having tried ''grass in his liquor, '' was so moved by the result that there came to his mind a vision of hi s favo rite heroine, the daughter of Lady Capulet and the ''sweet, sweetiug'' of Romeo; thereupon he enthusiastically named his beverage ''Mint Juliet,'' a term which later bibbers ham corrupted into Mint Julep. It has b een claimed that a Yankee drummer originally introduced nlint into the South .as a flavor for liquor many years before the Rebellion and tile following good story bas often been told to illustrate the same. It seems that. once upon a time the aforesaid clrllDlmer was a guest at the plantation of a very hospitable old K entuckian an d during his sojourn there one warm summer's evening, ma de bis host acquainted with the secret of blending a little mint with the old fashioned toddy which was the planter's customary tipple. A f ew years a fterward the drummer happened to be in the vicinity of the plantation on a business trip and resolved to call on hi s old acquaintance. The old negro ser vant, who answered his summons, tearfully informed him that "Massa had done gone to Hebben six months befo'." "Yon don't say so !" sorrowfully exclaimed the visitor. "And what could have b ee11 t he cause of my clear old friend's death 9" "Well, yo u see, sah," replied the darkey, "there was a trabbling man from up North heah a few years ago and he showed Massa how to put grass in his likker and clat 's all ole Massa done from clat clay to de clay of his def."