Mint Juleps

Izzy's back from his forays to find mint leaves, worthy bourbon and a replacement mallet.  Only one reason for these items:

 

It's Derby Day!

 

Izzy uses a julep recipe he found at the end of  Walker Percy's Book Signposts in a Strange Land.  No cheap julep syrup for us...

 

POSTSCRIPT: Reader, just in case you don't want to knock it back straight and would rather monkey around with perfectly good Bourbon, here's my favorite recipe, "Cud'n Walker's Uncle Will's Favorite Mint Julep Receipt."

You need excellent Bourbon whiskey; rye or Scotch will not do.  Put half an inch of sugar in the bottom of the glass and merely dampen it with water.  Next, very quickly--and here is the trick in the procedure--crush your ice, actually powder it, preferably with a wooden mallet, so quickly that it remains dry, and, slipping two sprigs of fresh mint against the inside of the glass, cram the ice in right to the brim, packing it with your hand.   Finally, fill the glass, which apparently has no room left for anything else, with Bourbon, the older the better, and grate a bit of nutmeg on the top.  The glass will frost immediately.  Then settle back in your chair for half an hour of cumulative bliss.

In a little bit, he'll set to powdering ice, crushing leaves, etc.  We'll turn on the pre-race festivities and set to sipping.  ;-)