Cocktail of the week with Fabrizio Musorella

Mint Julep

Like so many cocktails, no one knows the origins of the Mint Julep for certain – particularly as the word julep is a corruption of Persian guleb, a medicinal drink of syrup, flavourings and water. How it took root in America’s Deep South is anybody’s guess, but it is thought to have been introduced to Europe by a Captain Marryat, a British skipper who referred to it as “one of the most delightful and insinuating potions that ever was invented”. By 1800 it had become Americanised, made with brandy until after the civil war, when bourbon became more available. Salute!

Ingredients

5cl Bourbon
Bunch fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon soda water

Preparation

Place the mint in an old-fashioned glass. Add the sugar and the water. Mix until the sugar dissolves. Add the bourbon. Fill the glass with crushed ice. Stir and garnish with a sprig of mint.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.