The Lush Chef

Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby, so what better way to celebrate your weekend than with a mint julep?  Yes, that's my Derby hat in the background, which will be smashing by the time I'm done garnishing it with roses and ribbons.  Mine certainly doesn't look as authentic as the ones they make at Seven Grand, with the pretty silver cup engraved with the bar's name and that snow-cone-perfect-ice.  There's only so much a Lush Chef can do with a crappy blender and a drink stirrer-turned ice pick.  But I was craving something minty and sweet with my favorite libation, so this did the trick.  Luckily, the mint juleps at the Kentucky Derby party I'll be co-hosting tomorrow will be made perfectly by one of LA's top mixologists, Joel Black, and I won't have to worry.  That's how the Lush Chef rolls...

Mint Julep - serves 1

• 1 oz club soda
• 2 heaping tsp sugar
• 10 fresh mint leaves, give or take, plus 1 sprig for garnish
• 3 oz bourbon (I'm a fan of Bulleit)
• 1-2 cups crushed ice (enough to fill your glass, because clearly I make ghetto crushed ice)

- In a julep cup or a glass, fill with club soda and sugar.  Let that sugar dissolve a little.
- Add the mint leaves and lightly muddle - you don't want to macerate the leaves - just crush them enough to darken the syrup.
- Add bourbon, fill cup with crushed ice and stir to your little heart's content.
- Garnish with a mint leaf, and you're off to the races!