Sparkling Mint Lemon Juleps Food

SPARKLING MINT JULEPS

Steps:

• In a jar, combine the mint, bourbon, lime juice, maple syrup and stir. Pour into an 8 ounce julep glass filled with ice and top it off with the sparkling wine. Garnish with more lime slices and mint leaves.

FROZEN LEMON MINT JULEPS

Steps:

• Combine the bourbon and spearmint in a large pitcher, cover and chill for at least 12 hours.
• Remove the zest from the lemon in strips with a vegetable peeler and cut away any white pith (the pith imparts a bitter flavor).
• In a small saucepan over moderately-low heat, combine the zest, 1/2 cup water and the sugar. Bring up to boil and cook until the liquid gets all syrupy, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let steep 30 minutes. Remove the zest and add the juice from the lemon.
• Pour half the mint-infused bourbon, half the lemon syrup and enough ice to reach up to the top of the blender and puree until smooth. Carefully divide it among 3 goblets and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Garnish each with a sprig of mint and enjoy!
• What Makes This Recipe Really Sing: Really try and find fresh spearmint leaves. The flavor is so different from regular mint leaves that you normally use.
• BYOC: How about a Maraschino cherry? They are such a fun throwback garnish.

SPARKLING MINT & LEMON JULEPS

Steps:

• Put the sugar and lemon juice in a small pan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 2 minutes to make a syrup. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. This can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to a week.
• To serve, pour the lemon syrup into 6 champagne flutes or tall glasses, top up each glass with the chilled sparkling wine, then stir quickly to mix before serving with mint sprigs tucked in the top.

BIG-BATCH LEMON-MINT JULEP

Steps:

• Squeeze 16 of the lemons, reserving the rinds and juice. In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups of the sugar and 3 cups water, stirring until dissolved. Add the lemon rinds, and cook over medium heat until the liquid becomes syrupy, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand until room temperature. Remove, and discard lemon rinds. Stir in the lemon juice, about 4 cups.
• Spread remaining 1/2 cup sugar on a small plate. Cut the remaining lemon into quarters. Rub the wedges along the rims of 16 mint-julep cups or tall glasses, and invert the glasses in the sugar to create a sugared rim.
• Crush a few mint leaves into the bottom of each glass with a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon. Fill each glass with ice cubes, and pour 1/2 cup of lemon syrup in each glass. Top off with about 1 1/2 ounces of bourbon per glass. Garnish each glass with a fresh sprig of mint.

SPARKLING JULEP (COGNAC, MINT, CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL)

Steps:

• Muddle mint leaves and simple syrup in a julep cup or rocks glass. Add Champagne, cognac, and bitters. Fill glass partway with crushed ice and stir gently to combine. Mound more crushed ice on top and garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon twist.

MINT JULEP

Steps:

• Fill an 8- to 10-ounce glass with crushed ice (1 cup). Add mint, syrup, and bourbon and bruise mint with back of a spoon.

LEMON-AND-MINT JULEP

Steps:

• Lemon Simple Syrup: Heat sugar, 1 cup water, and lemon zest in a small saucepan over high, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; let cool 20 minutes. Remove zest; let cool completely. Syrup can be refrigerated up to 1 week. (Makes 1 1/2 cups.)
• Cocktail: In the bottom of a julep cup, muddle mint leaves with 1 tablespoon syrup for a few seconds until mint starts to break down. Add bourbon and fill cup with ice; stir until well chilled. Top with more ice and garnish with mint sprig.