welcome to drinks made easy i'm paul masterson your host and resident mixologist this episode we'll be taking a look at the mint julep now the mint julep was first mentioned in literature in 1803 by a guy named john davis who john davis was i have no idea but what he did say about this drink was it was a delightful dram of spirits steeped in mint enjoyed by virginians in the morning sounds like a great way to start your day to me but more recently this drink has become synonymous with the kentucky derby for this reason we use maker's mark in this segment now with a lot of our other drinks we say you can use just about any type of that particular alcohol however we have found for the mint julep in particular makers mark really is the best type of kentucky bourbon to use now ingredients for this drink that you will need are maker's mark simple syrup and mint the tools that you will need for this are a pour spout or [ __ ] a muddler a bartender spoon or a long stirring spoon so if you have all those ingredients and your taste buds let's get mixing so what i've done is gone ahead and iced my glass because the mint julep is meant to be drunk on hot days it's really a nice touch when you put a little bit of ice and water in the glass to pre-chill it once you've done this just toss it start with your ounce of simple syrup add your half ounce of makers and your four to six sprigs of mint once you've done this go ahead and muddle now remember the idea of the muddling here is we want to mix the essence and the oils of the mint leaves along with the simple syrup and the bourbon after you've muddled it for a little bit let it sit there so that the flavors can start to mix after you've let your muddled mixture sit for a little bit add some shaved ice or crushed ice now if you only have regular ice get a towel in a bag and crush it because this drink is really strong you're going to want that crushed ice to dilute a little bit otherwise it's a good idea to add a little dash of water remember that the idea is you want to enjoy the event where you are not have everyone reminding you how you were praying to the porcelain god while everyone else was out of the party once you filled your glass with shaved ice or crushed ice go ahead and add the last two ounces of makers once you've added your two ounces go ahead and use your bartender's spoon and just mix it up a little bit this is going to assist you in really mixing all those flavors together from the simple syrup the mint and the whiskey take one more sprig of the mint twist it to release some of the oils garnish on top and enjoy oh that's good please remember to drink responsibly because while everybody wants to make friends no one wants to make them in a prison shower