Tasked with reimagining the mint julep for Louisville Tourism’s Mint Julep Month, Trevor Bowles of Stitzel-Weller Distillery looked outside the world of spirits for inspiration. He found it at Louisville’s Butchertown Grocery Bakery, in a pastry with a delicately crisp exterior and jammy center. The resulting raspberry-almond mint julep is elevated but still sweetly simple, especially if you follow his tip: “I recommend sourcing the crushed ice. Most corner stores have it, and this will speed up the process.”
Toasted Almond Raspberry Mint Julep
Yield: 1 cocktail
For the raspberry syrup
1 cup simple syrup
¼ cup (or more, to taste) raspberries
For the cocktail
4–6 mint leaves
2 oz. Blade and Bow Bourbon
¾ oz. raspberry syrup
3 dashes Fee Brothers toasted almond bitters
Bouquet of mint, for garnish
Preparation
- Make the raspberry syrup: Add simple syrup and raspberries to a saucepan. Cook down for a few minutes. Allow to cool, ideally overnight, then strain out pulp. Can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
- Make the cocktail: Muddle mint leaves into a julep cup and add Blade and Bow bourbon, raspberry syrup, and almond bitters. Top with crushed ice and swizzle all the ingredients in the cup. Top off with more ice, forming a cone shape. Grab a bouquet of mint and slap it to release the oils, then arrange it on the side of the cup.