Clementine Mint Julep

Now that spring is in the air, my mint plants are coming back to life. The weeds are too, but that’s a different story.  So, for my first mint cocktail of this season, I decided to play around with the mint julep. Seeing as the Kentucky Derby isn’t too far away and I have a few bottles of Maker’s Mark on the counter, I figured now was the right time. After a few trials, this clementine mint julep was created – and consumed – and created – and consumed. And now it’s your turn to do the same.

Instead of using sugar in the drink, I muddled half of a clementine and added some Amaro Montenegro and fresh lemon juice. The traditional mint and bourbon are still in there, although I did take the amount of bourbon down slightly so it didn’t overpower the other ingredients.

Served in a julep glass (or a rocks glass if you don’t have the julep one) with crushed ice, it’s perfect for sipping on a sunny afternoon. Or an overcast afternoon. Or basically whenever you feel like it. That’s really all that matters.

Clementine Mint Julep

 

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Serves: 1

Ingredients

• ½ peeled clementine orange
• 12 to 15 mint leaves
• 1-1/2 ounces bourbon (I used Maker's Mark)
• ½ ounce Amaro Montenegro
• ½ ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Mint sprig for garnish

Directions

1. Add clementine orange to a cocktail shaker and muddle.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the garnish to the cocktail shaker and fill with ice.
3. Shake and double strain into a julep glass filled with crushed ice.
4. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and enjoy!

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Cheers!

Note: I was sent a bottle of Maker’s Mark to enjoy. All thoughts, opinions, images and recipe are my own.