Mountain Mint Julep

When the Kentucky Derby arrives, we like to celebrate with our KY friends across the river, but we like to do it Carriage House Farm style.

We wear our biggest garden hats. We give our horses in the Riverwind Stables extra ear scratches. And we use as many local and regional flavors as we can to make our Mountain Mint Julep, paying homage to the traditional spirit of the mint julep while creating a drink that’s all our own.

We substitute our honey for simple syrup, mountain mint for spearmint, and we use Watershed Bourbon. It makes for a mint julep that’s just as refreshing as the original, while celebrating local ingredients.

Ingredients:

4 sprigs fresh mountain mint
1 tbsp wildflower honey
2 oz quality bourbon
seltzer water
crushed ice

Directions:

Place fresh leaves from three sprigs of mountain mint in the bottom of a cocktail glass and top with honey. Muddle together, add a splash of seltzer water. Fill ¾ full with crushed ice, add bourbon. Top with seltzer, stir and garnish with sprig of mountain mint.