Spirited Cocktails

I had the opportunity yesterday to sample Maker’s Mark (premade) Mint Julep at Astor Wines & Spirits  (@astorwines). I must admit, I didn’t expect much. If nothing else, the making of a Mint Julep is a time-honored tradition, and the idea of purchasing a Mint Julep in a bottle wasn’t particularly appealing to me. I must admit though, after tasting it, I was pleasantly surprised!

It was definitely on the sweeter side as mint juleps go, but if you’re having a Derby party this year and the idea of hand-crafting mint juleps by the dozen just doesn’t appeal, I think this would be a fine substitution (and if you make a good show of it, most people will never know!)

The only catch is that this bottled mint julep is fairly hard to find. Astor Wines & Spirits here in New York was carrying a small inventory, but the Makers Mark representative there told me that distribution was still pretty limited. It’s worth a shot though!

If you’re interested in making your own Mint Juleps by hand (certainly the path I would recommend, especially if you can’t find this special-edition Makers Mark), check out Dale DeGroff, the king of cocktails himself, making Mint Juleps trackside over at the Lush Life site.

Cheers!