19th Century Cocktails: The Mint Julep
Originally published June 2023 · pp. 10–11
19th Century Cocktails: The Mint Julep The mission of this column in Civil War News is to research relevant aspects of the material culture of the 1860s. To fully appreciate the antebellum heritage of the South, one must develop an appreciation for their most famous cocktail, the mint julep. The first mention of the julep cocktail in America dates from 1784 when a Briton traveling through Virginia noted that many men of middle class would start the day, “…with a julap made of rum, water and sugar.” It was taken as a precaution against malaria. A “julap” or “julep” was a term of Mediterranean origin for medicine mixed with alcohol. The first mention of adding mint was in 1803. What became the essential Southern libation was described at that time as “…a dram of spirituous liquor that
has mint steeped in it, taken by Virginians of a morning.” It is a fine way to begin the day and, of course, also an equally fine way to end one. No specific or exact place in Virginia is mentioned, however in 1804 a student at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg noted that his classmates were entirely too devoted to the consumption of them. Records at the Old White Tavern at Hot Springs, Virginia, now West Virginia, show that as early as 1816 the drink was already a feature of their summer menu. The cost was reasonable too — three drinks for 50 cents. If the Commonwealth of Virginia can lay claim to inventing the mint julep, the Commonwealth of Kentucky soon afterwards popularized the concoction as the perfect vehicle for their local bourbon whiskey. As far as commonly enjoyed drinks go, getting a decent mint julep outside of Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs can be
famously difficult. Most bars, if they serve the drink at all, do a poor job of it by using packaged drink mixes with artificial mint flavor which smell and taste like mouthwash. Hence, if you want a mint julep that lends any insight at all into the famous Southern cocktail, plan on mixing it yourself. Since the drink contains only four main ingredients—bourbon, ice, sugar and spearmint—how can it be that the mint julep is so difficult to get right? Kentuckian Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., son of the famous Confederate general, explained: “…a mint julep is not a product of a formula. It is a ceremony and must be performed
Simon Bolivar Buckner (Library of Congress)
Two unidentified soldiers in Union uniforms drinking whiskey and playing cards. (Library of Congress)
by a gentleman possessing a true sense of the artistic, a deep reverence for the ingredients and a proper appreciation of the occasion. It is a rite that must not be entrusted to a novice, a statistician, nor a Yankee. It is a heritage of the Old South, and emblem of hospitality, and a vehicle in which noble minds can travel together upon the flowerstrewn paths of a happy and congenial thought.” To a gentleman of the 1860s, recipes appear to be unnecessary in the realm of the ceremonial mixing of proper mint juleps. After all, do we really need a recipe for everything? The Kentucky Housewife (1839) by Letice Bryan contains a recipe for buttering bread. It stipulates that the bread should be cut from the loaf before it is buttered. One would think that antebellum cooks who were old enough to read a cookbook would know how to spread butter on a piece of bread. This is just my opinion, of course. On the other hand, with alcohol consumption about three times higher in the 1860s than modern norms, we appear to have lost touch with the finer points of
the drink mixing rituals of the 1860s. It would be remiss not to provide a recipe for a period correct mint julep. Here is one from Bon-Vivant’s Companion by Jerry Thomas, which dates back to 1862. Mint Julep No. 3/4 to 1 cup brandy or cognac 1/2 tsp. rum 2 and 1/2 tbs. water tbs. sugar Several fresh mint leaves Dissolve one tablespoon of white pulverized sugar in two and one-half tablespoons of water. Take two sprigs of fresh mint and press them well in the sugar and water, until the flavor of mint is extracted. Add one wine glass of cognac brandy, and fill the glass with fine shaved ice, then draw out the sprigs of mint and insert them in the ice with the stems downward, so that the leaves will be above, in the shape of a bouquet. Dash with Jamaican rum, and sprinkle white sugar on top. Place a straw across the top of the glass, and there is your mint julep. If that seems too complicated, here is a simpler receipt called The Civil War News mint julep. It is also in the spirit of the times.
The only stipulation is that it requires two separate glasses for mixing the four ingredients. Put a double shot of the best Kentucky bourbon in one glass and masticate a sprig of spearmint with shaved ice and sugar in the other. Throw out the glass with the mint mixture and drink the bourbon.
Craig L. Barry was born in Charlottesville, Va. He holds his BA and Masters degrees from UNC (Charlotte). Craig served The Watchdog Civil War Quarterly as Associate Editor and Editor from 2003–2017. The Watchdog published books and columns on 19th-century material and donated all funds from publications to battlefield preservation. He is the author of several books including The Civil War Musket: A Handbook for Historical Accuracy (2006, 2011), The Unfinished Fight: Essays on Confederate Material Culture Vol. I and II (2012, 2013). He has also published four books in the Suppliers to the Confederacy series on English Arms & Accoutrements, Quartermaster stores and other European imports.
Photographs from the Original Article
Captions and credits appear in the article text as originally printed.