Cottonwood Mint Julep
(courtesy of Dave Monachello, manager, Cottonwood Restaurant & Bar in Truckee. Serves 1)
2 ounces Buffalo Trace Bourbon (for a spicier julep) or Maker’s Mark (for a sweeter julep)
½ ounce mint simple syrup (see recipe below)
Crushed ice
1 full sprig baby mint
Into silver julep cup or tall Collins glass, pour crushed ice, simple syrup, and bourbon. Stir with spoon until cup or glass gets frosty; add sprig of mint and place straw with it, resting against mint.
“Don’t muddle the mint. That’s a mojito,” Monachello says. “It makes it very minty … like toothpaste.”
Mint Simple Syrup
1 part sugar
1 part water
3 to 4 full mint sprigs
Heat water and sugar together in a pan until sugar dissolves. Add mint sprigs, turn off heat, and let infuse in pan overnight. Take mint sprigs out and keep syrup in covered container in refrigerator for up to a week.
