by TM Petaccia

With the running of the Kentucky Derby this weekend, many Unpretentious readers will be digging out their mint julep recipes. If you don’t have one yet, the internet is full of them. It’s a very simple cocktail.

We thought we’d look for something a little off the beaten path and reached out to Kel Minton, beverage director at The Royal Tot. He came back to us with the Martinique Julep.

“I thought of a derby happening on an island and I couldn’t stop picturing the wild horses at the Outer Banks,” Minton says. “I went with what I’d like to sip on from there. Clement is a great rum for bourbon drinkers and I upped the kick with a bit of overproof rum.”

Martinique Julep
1½ oz Clement Select Barrel Martinique Rum*
½ oz Wray & Nephew Overproof Rum
½ oz Applejack
¼ oz. Velvet Falernum
¼ oz. Passion Fruit Syrup
10 Mint leaves

Put mint in the bottom of the glass and muddle gently to extract the oils. Add remaining liquid ingredients then, half way fill (“pebble” in bartender parlance) with crushed ice, then “swizzle”.

“Swizzle is ‘tiki stirring’ more or less,” says Minton. The technique came from breaking off branches from a swizzle bush and spinning it between your hands with ice like you’re trying to start a fire.” (YouTube demonstration)

Pebble to fill glass and swizzle again.

Pile on extra ice for proper effect and garnish with an edible flower or more mint leaves.

*Available at South Carolina liquor stores or ABC special order

If you don’t want to compile the ingredients to make this at home, The Royal Tot will be featuring it all week leading up to the Kentucky Derby.  “It came out way better than I thought. It may just make the summer menu,” Minton says.

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