Southern Belle turning 21: Best mint juleps in Boston?
March 1, 2010 3:29 AM Subscribe
Best mint juleps in Boston? Preferably as part of a restaurant. (Consolation prize: best recipe/tips/advice on making my own?)
A friend is turning 21 soon and would like to make her first fancy drink a mint julep, preferably as part of a restaurant (with Southern food, would be best!).
Any recommendations for places in Boston? T-accessible a bonus.
Somewhere like the restaurant Tupelo ("Comfort food with a Southern Drawl") would be nice, but I'm not sure if they serve mint juleps.
A friend is turning 21 soon and would like to make her first fancy drink a mint julep, preferably as part of a restaurant (with Southern food, would be best!).
Any recommendations for places in Boston? T-accessible a bonus.
Somewhere like the restaurant Tupelo ("Comfort food with a Southern Drawl") would be nice, but I'm not sure if they serve mint juleps.
Eastern Standard might fit the bill. They have fantastic bartenders (and a Mint Julip on their menu, though I also highly recommend the gin flips), and I remember having a very delicious sausage and gravy dish there.
posted by Grither at 3:57 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by Grither at 3:57 AM on March 1, 2010
Wait, maybe it's called sausage and biscuits? Some dish that is supposed to be southern, I just forget the name. Not sure if the rest of the fare is southern though.
posted by Grither at 4:00 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by Grither at 4:00 AM on March 1, 2010
I think the best southern food and the best bar are at the Hungry Mother in Kendall (by the movie theater). Nede ("Ned," but it's spelled with an extra "e") is really a phenomenal bartender. Warning: expensive.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 4:05 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by Admiral Haddock at 4:05 AM on March 1, 2010
Tupelo is good southern food but only has a beer/wine/cordial license. Hungry Mother has good "modern southern" food and bartending, but is pretty pricey. For drinks w/o southern food you have three excellent choices:
Eastern Standard, kenmore sq.
Green Street, central sq.
Drink, fort point.
All three of those places will serve you a world-class mint julep.
posted by modernserf at 5:50 AM on March 1, 2010
Eastern Standard, kenmore sq.
Green Street, central sq.
Drink, fort point.
All three of those places will serve you a world-class mint julep.
posted by modernserf at 5:50 AM on March 1, 2010
Redbones has decent ones, and excellent barbecue.
posted by oinopaponton at 6:11 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by oinopaponton at 6:11 AM on March 1, 2010
I asked my friend, a twenty-something Southern Belle Bostonian herself, and although she doesn't have a huge amount of experience ordering them around here, she has two suggestions:
1) "Drink has some amazing bartenders so I would say that is a perfect place to try. She can get a Mint Julep and then they will create a special spontaneous cocktail tailored to her mood and palate." She points out that it's a little on the pricey side, but it's her 21st. You only live once.
2) "I ordered one at Dillon's one time and got a mojito with whiskey instead of rum." So that's certainly something to look out for.
posted by Plutor at 6:51 AM on March 1, 2010
1) "Drink has some amazing bartenders so I would say that is a perfect place to try. She can get a Mint Julep and then they will create a special spontaneous cocktail tailored to her mood and palate." She points out that it's a little on the pricey side, but it's her 21st. You only live once.
2) "I ordered one at Dillon's one time and got a mojito with whiskey instead of rum." So that's certainly something to look out for.
posted by Plutor at 6:51 AM on March 1, 2010
Yes, Drink absolutely serves a fab mint julep -- hand-shaved ice and served in a silver pewter cup. Doesn't solve your dinner issue, though.
posted by AwkwardPause at 7:04 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by AwkwardPause at 7:04 AM on March 1, 2010
Radius makes an excellent mint julep as well, but their food is a long way from Southern comfort food.
For making at home, here's an excellent recipe.
2 oz Woodford Reserve bourbon
1 oz water
1 tsp or cube white sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting
4 fresh mint sprig
Silver julep cup
Straws
Crushed ice
Muddle 3 mint sprigs, white sugar and water in bottom of Julep cup. Fill with crushed ice. Add bourbon and stir. Dust the last mint sprig with powdered sugar for garnish. Insert two straws all the way to the bottom and then trim them off no more than two inches above the top of the cup. This last step is the essential one. First, it enables you to sip the bourbon through the muddled mint and sugar (rather than sipping straight bourbon off the top of the drink); and second, the short straws ensures that you smell the sugar and the mint garnish as you do so.
posted by jmstephan at 7:31 AM on March 1, 2010
For making at home, here's an excellent recipe.
2 oz Woodford Reserve bourbon
1 oz water
1 tsp or cube white sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting
4 fresh mint sprig
Silver julep cup
Straws
Crushed ice
Muddle 3 mint sprigs, white sugar and water in bottom of Julep cup. Fill with crushed ice. Add bourbon and stir. Dust the last mint sprig with powdered sugar for garnish. Insert two straws all the way to the bottom and then trim them off no more than two inches above the top of the cup. This last step is the essential one. First, it enables you to sip the bourbon through the muddled mint and sugar (rather than sipping straight bourbon off the top of the drink); and second, the short straws ensures that you smell the sugar and the mint garnish as you do so.
posted by jmstephan at 7:31 AM on March 1, 2010
Another place to add to the list of southern-ish and cocktail-serving places: Trina's Starlite Lounge on the site of the old Abbey Lounge.
posted by galaksit at 7:46 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by galaksit at 7:46 AM on March 1, 2010
Another vote for Hungry Mother. I specifically get the mint juleps there when I go, actually. Love 'em. Note that they are closed on Mondays.
posted by dubitable at 9:15 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by dubitable at 9:15 AM on March 1, 2010
This is the best mint julep recipe I've found. It's like a fantastic, boozy snow cone for grownups.
I've never seen a bartender pulverize the ice in a Lewis bag, which really does make all the difference. If you don't have one, a largish clean dishtowel works, and you can pulverize the ice with a rolling pin instead of a mallet.
posted by Lycaste at 10:40 AM on March 1, 2010
I've never seen a bartender pulverize the ice in a Lewis bag, which really does make all the difference. If you don't have one, a largish clean dishtowel works, and you can pulverize the ice with a rolling pin instead of a mallet.
posted by Lycaste at 10:40 AM on March 1, 2010
I sometimes pre-mint up my bourbon by putting a sprig of mint into the bottle for a few days ahead of time
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 11:45 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 11:45 AM on March 1, 2010
Hungry Mother is fantastic, so is Tremont 647 (chef Andy Husbands was on Hell's Kitchen last season, I think). Both focus on southern style food and have fantastic bartenders. Drink in Fort Point is great, but it gets INSANE on Friday and Saturday nights - to the point that you cannot move around in the room, and they only serve super pricey tiny snacks. Both HM and 647 will definitely require a reservation.
posted by hungrybruno at 11:57 AM on March 1, 2010
posted by hungrybruno at 11:57 AM on March 1, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by akash at 3:46 AM on March 1, 2010