Mint Julep

Mint Julep
from epicurean.com

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon rind
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh mint leaves, washed & chopped fine
Ginger Ale

Boil water, sugar, and lemon rind for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in juice. Bruise mint leaves and add to mixture, stirring. Let stand for a few hours; then strain into a jar with a lid. Refrigerate until serving (may store 2 to 3 weeks).

When making the julep, pour ginger ale into glasses and add syrup to taste, (2 to 4 tablespoons per serving). Garnish with mint leaves or fresh raspberries.

Serves 10 to 15

****I made this exactly as the recipe says. I forgot to refrigerate the ginger ale. I tried to drink the julep warm, but it didn't really taste like I thought it should, so I cooled it off with some ice. Doing that improved the flavor a lot. I think the ice might have watered it down a little, though. We had it again for dinner tonight. This time the ginger ale had been in the fridge, so it was nice and cold. It tasted much better.

I would rate this at 5 stars. I think it would be a fun and different drink for a dinner party.