Kentucky Derby and Mint Juleps!

In honor of the Kentucky Derby this week, I thought I would add a fun recipe for Mint Juleps! My sister gave me this beautiful mint julep cup as wedding gift, which I just love! The idea was to put flowers in it for the house, and I'm thinking of getting it monogrammed in the near future.

But for now, I think a mint julep cocktail would be great for this festive weekend! I adopted this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, as it looks to be a hit!

Ingredients

2 cups lightly packed fresh mint

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 cup orange juice

1 1/2 cups bourbon

granulated sugar

crushed ice

fresh mint sprigs

halved orange slices

Directions

1. Place mint leaves in bowl and set aside. In medium saucepan, combine water and 1 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, pour over mint leaves. Stir in orange juice.

2. Cover and let stand at room temp for one hour. Strain mixture through mesh strainer. Stir in bourbon. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.

3. Place granulated sugar in shallow dish. Wet the edges of 8 glasses and dip into sugar to coat. Add crushed ice to glasses. Divide bourbon mixture amoung the glasses (about 2/3 cup per glass). Garnish with mint and orange slices.

Makes 8, 5 oz servings.