When a talented bartender like Darlin Kulla works side by side with a world-class kitchen staff, delicious things happen—like this cocktail, made with a blackberry sauce from the dessert menu at Succotash in D.C. “I find that the sweetness of the berries is a great pairing for the mint in the julep,” Kulla says. “We use champagne to brighten the cocktail and add an extra layer of fun.”
Drinks
Mint Julep Month: Sparkleberry Mint Julep
Tart up your julep with a splash of blackberry sauce and a squeeze of lemon
Sponsored Content


photo: Peter Frank Edwards
Ingredients
for the cocktail
1½ oz. Maker's Mark® bourbon
1 tbsp. blackberry sauce (see recipe below)
¼ oz. lemon juice
½ oz. demerara sugar
Pebble ice
Splash Champagne or other dry sparkling wine
10 mint leaves
2 blackberries
Mint sprig
For Blackberry Sauce (yield enough for 4 drinks)
3 pints blackberries
½ cup sugar
½ cup maple syrup
Juice of 2 lemons
Preparation
For the Cocktail:
Muddle bourbon, blackberry sauce, lemon juice, and demerara sugar. Swizzle with crushed ice. Top with a splash of Champagne. Top with more pebble ice, forming a nice dome. Garnish with blackberries and a mint sprig.
For the Blackberry Sauce:
Mix all ingredients until smooth.

Meet the bartender
Recipe from Darlin Kulla of Succotash in Washington, D.C.
Want more juleps?
See other specialty mint julep recipes and learn more about Mint Julep Month here.
Related Stories:

Drinks
Mint Julep Month: Bless Your Heart Julep
A spoonful of blueberry jam and an extra herb in the muddle help this julep go down
Sponsored Content


Food & Drink
Mint Julep Month: Carthusian Julep
Your new secret ingredient: a liqueur made by monks that is also available at your local grocery store
Sponsored Content


Drinks
Mint Julep Month: The Golden Gait Julep
Bring a splash of bubbly to the party with this cocktail’s key ingredient: champagne syrup
Sponsored Content

Trending Stories:

Music
Song Premiere: Listen to Chapel Hart’s New Single, “If You Ain’t Wearing Boots”
New music from the Mississippi trio who rose to fame last year on America’s Got Talent

Arts & Culture
“The Outsiders” Turns Forty
See rare images of the stars—before they were big—around the Oklahoma set

Arts & Culture
A South Carolina Seafood Company Reveals a Piece of Forrest Gump History
How much shrimp is required to create a movie classic? About six thousand pounds, apparently