Now if you've been following along with us for a little while, you know we have a tendency to favor our Mint Juleps with the start of the Derby. We continue to look for more "Summer" bourbon drinks to offer y'all but nothing tops that refreshing concoction of mint, sugar and bourbon. The wife however, has pointed out that not everyone is a fan of bourbon. So, we did a little digging and found a rum and gin drink that will mimic a julep for the non bourbon drinking friends of yours.
My cocktail for the evening is another one from Matt Sayer in Aiken, SC. His West Egg rum libation, reminds me of a mojito, only better. The wife found the Gin-Gin Mule (no surprise there) thanks to Audrey Saunders. Saunders said she created this recipe to entice the non-gin drinkers by using Tanqueray and tightened up the amount of sugar in her cocktail, though the wife reduced it more.
1/2 lime
Spoonful of sugar
2 oz white rum
Splash or two of sparkling soda
1/2 oz mint reduction
Mint garnish
Muddle the lime and the sugar in the bottom of a highball glass. Add rum and stir. Top with ice and a few splashes of sparkling water. Drizzle mint reduction on top. Garnish with mint.
Mint Reduction
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
25 mint leaves
Bring all the ingredients to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Triple strain and chill. Store covered in refrigerator.
Her Cocktail - Gin-Gin Mule
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz Simple syrup (used 1/2 oz)
6 sprigs of mint, some reserved for garnish
1 1/2 oz Tanqueray gin
1 oz Ginger beer
Combine the lime, simply syrup and mint in a mixing glass/cocktail shaker and muddle. Add the gin, ginger beer and ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with more mint.