And they’re not even that good. I mean, they’re ok, but not something I would ask to accompany my death row last meal. I think that would be a margarita to go alongside my non authentic tacos, the ones I ate growing up that really had not much to do with Mexican culture at all. The crunchy Ortega shells that disintegrated in your hand after the first bite, lots of sour cream, whole black olives, shredded cheese and iceberg lettuce, that shitty, runny salsa that comes inside the box. Beef of course…And a Tommy’s margarita with Fortaleza Still Strength. Yes, salt should always be on the rim, don’t be one of those idiots who thinks salt is bad for you.

Mint has always been and always will be on the Mount Olympus of great cocktail ingredients. When was the last time you had a whiskey smash? Do it now. Yeah, shit doesn’t need to be complicated. I think I sometimes overthink drinks because I have to justify the cost.

Ok, so where does the recent julep obsession come from? Well, it’s from browsing through that damn Charles H. Baker book yesterday. This is the second time it’s occurred this year. I think it’s the same thing that happened to me when dealing with the caipirinha. I wanted some semblance of consistency. Most caipirinha recipes will say quarter a lime, muddle it, etc. but limes are very different in size and flavor from season to season and location. That shitty dried out, prematurely picked lime you buy at Whole Foods the size of a corn nut is going to be a lot different from the mind blowing tree ripened sweet limes BBQ Mike brings to us once a year. When you rely on a certain ingredient being at its peak, you can’t stomach making something with a lesser version. It’s like eating Weiser melons compared to a cantaloupe from Vons, it doesn’t even taste like the same fruit.

From week to week the mint we receive at Rustic varies wildly. Sometimes we get the big healthy stuff with the stiff, full leaves and other times it’s the tiny, depressing wilty crap you wouldn’t give to your worst enemy. If you want to make a decent julep you need access to the good stuff which isn’t always going to be around, like a General Manager. I also would like to say I detest muddling. I think there’s a work around, however. For many years we’ve made mint syrup at Rustic, I think that’s the best way to get consistency out of mint. Yes, it’s cooked (blanched) and not fresh, but it’s jam packed full of mint flavor and we don’t have to rely on whether or not Fresh Point gives us the good shit or not. We can always garnish wive a heavy duty load of mint, even if it’s not the best, it’s the bouquet we’re after and as long as it’s not wilted and brown it’s fine.

This is the way? I mean, I think in order to put it on a menu and execute it properly, yes. You’re putting sugar in it anyway. One problem…It’ll be a green hue, not a big deal if it’s in the traditional metal tin anyway.

How about a tequila julep? Maybe throw some lime sherbet and a muddled lime in there? Sounds pretty freaking good to me. Salt? I don’t know anymore.