Apologies for the late notice, but hey, it’s been pretty darned busy around here with all the restaurant openings and closings and horticultural emergencies downtown. So we almost missed out on the fact that April is Mint Julep Month, presented by the arbiters of Southern culture at Garden & Gun magazine. Fortunately, we’ve all been given a bit of an extension since the month actually goes until May 4 and the running of the Kentucky Derby.
In preparation for the most exciting two minutes in sports, 13 local bars are taking part in this homage to the sweet-minty bourbon drink that has become an emblem of Derby Day. Each bar is presenting its own take on the julep, and some of the variations are posted at the special website G&G has developed for the month in case you want to try some at home. This year, participants have been encouraged to eliminate single-use plastic straws as part of an initiative organized by Maker’s Mark.
Participating bars include some of the usual suspect high-end cocktail emporiums you’d expect like Henley, Bourbon Steak, The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club, the Oak Bar and Husk, but there are also some interesting outliers on the list that will surely be offering novel goofs on a classic julep. You still have a few weeks left to hit up the classics and also experience what they have going on at nontraditional julep destinations like Chaatable, Stay Golden and The Mockingbird. For a full list of participating bars, take a gander to the right of this post!
(One side note, the inclusion of Chopper on this list would imply that Andy Mumma’s long-awaited tiki bar on Gallatin is actually open, which would be news to me. But by all accounts, it looks like it may be close to reality, so let’s hope Chopper makes it by the deadline of May 4. A lot of us can’t wait for them to start slinging Singapore Slings!)
