Blackberry-Mint Julep

Until this one, I have never had a mint julep I enjoyed.  That doesn't make sense, since I really love bourbon, but I have not had a tasty mint julep.   As often happens with cocktails, a bad experience once can sometimes put you off a certain drink or type of liquor forever (or at least for a while).   I recall a very bad mint julep my senior year in college, made by a friend from Kentucky (no offense, P!) - a medicine tasting drink that made me shiver a bit after I took a sip.  To some extent, that was all it took for me to pretty much swear off juleps for a while.  I have partaken a bit in recent years, since bourbon has been so in vogue, juleps turn up on a lot of menus.  What I have found is that the crushed ice that is part of the drink is overdone a bit, and so I feel like I am drinking a bourbon snow cone.    A purist will not like this blackberry mint julep, but it is far and away the best julep I have ever had.  I really like the technique too - pureeing the fruit and mint together then straining to a syrup.  This is something I will play with with other fruit and herb combinations - as summer approaches the possibilities are endless.  While I am a late for an derby day party you may have thrown, this drink is a keeper for the spring no matter what the occasion.

Blackberry-Mint Julep, adapted from Martha Stewart

  

Ingredients

1/2 cup mint leaves

1 pint blackberries

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup bourbon

4 cup ice cubes

mint springs for garnish

Directions:

1. Roughly chop mint leaves.
2. Puree blackberry, mint, sugar and about a tablespoon of water in a blender.
3. Press the puree through a sieve into a bowl to remove the seeds.
4. Add the ice and bourbon to the blender and blackberry syrup, puree until smooth or a little chunky, which was my preference.
5. Garnish with mint leaves.