Photo Credit: Food Network
Every year at the Kentucky Derby, there’s a special drink that everyone loves: the mint julep. It’s made with just a few things like bourbon, mint, sugar, and ice. Even though it’s easy to make, this drink is very important to the Derby. They sell about 120,000 of them at the race!
The mint julep has been around for a long time, way before the Derby started. It can be made with different kinds of alcohol and decorated in many ways. A long time ago, bartenders liked to be creative with it.
Some of the best mint juleps were made by Black bartenders in the 1820s in Virginia. People like Jasper Crouch, Jim Cook, and John Dabney were known for making great juleps. They were free men and they were really good at their job.
The mint julep gained popularity at the Kentucky Derby in 1939. But before that, it was a special drink that showed you were rich. Black bartenders used their skills to make a better life for themselves.
The mint julep was also special because of how it looked. Adding ice to the drink was a new idea back then. It made the julep not just taste good but also look pretty.
Today, people are trying to learn more about these bartenders and how they changed drinks. It’s hard because there aren’t many stories written down about them. But what they did was very important. They helped make drinks the way we know them now.
Over time, the mint julep changed. It used to be something only rich people could have. Now, it’s a drink everyone knows. But even though it’s changed, bartenders still make it with care and remember its history.
When the Derby comes, the mint julep is the star. But the drink’s story is about more than just a race. It’s about how people used their creativity to make something special. Therefore, it is considered a reminder of how traditions and new ideas come together. It’s a drink with a past that’s still loved today.
Ig @mannu mwendwa.
