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Saturday, May 7. 2016

Derby Day drink du Jour: Mint Julep for breakfast

Not just for the Derby. This source, which explains why we can thank the Arabs for the basis of this refreshing adult beverage along with inventing Algebra, notes:



Mint Julep first appeared in print in 1803 described as a "dram of spirituous liquor that has mint in it, taken by Virginians in the morning."



A breakfast tonic to tone ye olde brain. Healthy herbs. You can use either homemade sugar syrup or confectioner's sugar. Here's one. Use a chilled julep cup or collins glass. I grow a mint called "Kentucky Mint" which is quite intense, but close to Spearmint, just for this purpose, but I haven't made a batch in years. I should. Unlike Southern families, I do not own any heirloom Julep Cups. I am tempted by these on eBay ($500 for a pair). Nice Sterling cups seem to run between $100 to $1000 apiece. I am not in the market for these right now.



Posted by Bird Dog in Food and Drink at 12:00 | Comments (5) | Trackbacks (0)

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BD since Yankees cain't make a proper Mint Julep perhaps yall could find a rag head to do it.
#1 Leag on 2010-06-12 19:51 (Reply)
I don't mind thanking the Arabs for their part in inventing the mint julep. But as someone who's struggled with math all his life, I draw the line at thanking them for algebra.
#2 OldNewB on 2010-06-13 10:49 (Reply)
I thought the connection was to Sahleb - a sweet, thin pudding made from orris root or orchid bulbs.

Here in Israel (as in the rest of the region) roadside stalls sell bastard versions of this - cornstarch and rosewater replacing the more costly roots.

My understanding was that the word "sherbet" - and the old colonial mixed drinks known as "shrubs" - come from the Arab sharab/jalab, which means any condensed fruit juice/syrup used to flavor cool drinks.

We also put mint in lemonade, which is fantastic and easily liquored-up for adults.
#3 Ben David on 2012-05-06 03:27 (Reply)
Modern scholarship credits the Indians/ Hindus with BOTH the zero and algebra.

That, and the right-to-left math notation.

In short, they hid the credit and redrafted the knowledge in Arabic script.

The true inventors existed centuries before!
#4 blert on 2012-05-06 05:14 (Reply)
So the Arabs basically did to eastern cultures what the Greeks did to the Egyptians - use their positions as traders and middlemen to rip them off and then take credit elsewhere.
#4.1 Ben David on 2012-05-07 08:51 (Reply)

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