![]() ![]() Prairie Rose is a seasoned drinks writer, trained sommelier, and wine and spirits educator. A baking soda solution can be used to remove tarnish. You can try to prevent this by polishing the cups regularly with a cloth or silver polish. It's common for metal surfaces to tarnish at some point, even when unused. Use mild dish soap and a soft cloth or sponge-avoid abrasives that will scratch the cup. Though manufacturers may say it's dishwasher safe, it is always best to handwash metal cups immediately to avoid chipping or tarnishing. The metal requires special attention when it's time to clean the mint julep cup. The metal cup will frost when packed with crushed ice, which is desirable for the best-tasting mint julep. It reduces the heat transfer from the drinker's hands and prevents the ice from melting too quickly. The concept behind the silver cup is that the metal keeps the cocktail inside cold longer than glass or earthenware. Why does the mint julep have a silver cup? Slim just above the foot, it tapers up to a wider rim. The broad base is a ridged foot designed so the drinker can hold it from the bottom and not warm up the cocktail. It stands about four to five inches tall and holds approximately 12 fluid ounces. FAQs What is a mint julep cup?Ī classically designed mint julep cup is a tumbler made of silver, pewter, or another metal. Cups made entirely of sterling silver or pewter are a better choice. If this is your intent, keep in mind that silver-plated cups (and plated materials in general) are not great for engraving because the engraving will be the color of the base metal. They're often personalized with an engraved monogram or an event and date. Mint julep cups are a popular gift to commemorate special occasions and passed down through generations as family heirlooms. There are cups available of larger and smaller volumes, but the average-sized cup holds a perfect amount of finely crushed ice and liquid for the mint julep cocktail. The size of mint julep cups ranges between 12 and 16 ounces. Many mint julep cups are made of a base material, such as copper or stainless steel, then plated with the finishing metal. You can also look for copper mugs lined with another material inside the cup. While there is a concern about drinking from copper, it is safe as long as the beverage isn't overly acidic (the mint julep is not) or sitting in the cup for hours. Copper is beautiful as well, though more of a modern alternative. The cup itself may be sterling silver, the more economical silver-plated, or pewter, which doesn't have the same shine. Silver is the traditional color of a mint julep cup. What to Look for When Buying Mint Julep Cups Material Throwing a Kentucky Derby party? The Kentucky Derby Officially Licensed Mint Julep Cups will have you believing you're at Churchill Downs with the first sip of your julep. Trim with mint and hand to an appreciative gentleman.If you want a classic-looking mint julep cup but don't want to shell out hundreds of dollars on actual silver, we recommend the stainless steel Barfly Julep Cup. ![]() Fill it with ice pulverized to the fineness of snow.” Once the drink is mixed, “shake the cup slowly until a coating of a thick white frost forms on the outside. “Take a silver cup – always a silver cup. In a 1908 edition of Fuel Magazine, a Lexington, Kentucky, native named Samuel Judson Roberts explained the importance of the cup. The bourbon-spiked Kentucky Derby mint julep tastes nothing like the Persian rose-water drink, but the name is from Persia." And from French it entered English in the 15th century. and from there entered a number of European languages (Latin, Provençal, Spanish, Portuguese, and French) with the 'b' softened into a 'p' (e.g., julapium in Latin). In fact, the derby-themed elixir of frost and America’s oldest spirit can be attributed to ancient Persia.Īs Arthur Dudney, a researcher in Asian and Middle Eastern studies at Cambridge University notes, "Julep is a classic example," and further explains "It started as Persiangul-āb (rose water), then entered Arabic asjulāb. In reality, the drink traces it’s roots much further. ![]() This famous drink has been an iconic Derby symbol and all-around southern tradition since the early 19th century. Each Oaks Day and Derby Day patrons will imbibe over 150,000 mint juleps, which will require about 12,000 bottles of bourbon, around 1,000 pounds of fresh mint and 70,000 pounds of crushed ice. First, a little story.The mint julep is synonymous with the Kentucky Derby. ![]()
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