The Mint Julep was first referenced in 1784 as a medicinal concoction to cure an upset stomach. In the late 1700s it eventually transformed into a cocktail for the elites in the southern parts of the U.S. This since crunched ice is a big part of the drink and it was usually served in a silver cup. Both of which were only found in the households of the upper class.

The Mint Julep was introduced to Washington D.C in 1850 by Henry Clay, U.S. Senator from Kentucky and it ended up being a favorite cocktail of several presidents. Theodore Rosevelt for instance got his cabinet members to play tennis with him by offering them Mint Juleps afterwords.

As it seems, almost all cocktails have a story featuring Ernest Hemingway. So does the Mint Julep. Hemingway is said to have got so mad after being served an abysmal Mint Julep in France that he shattered the glass against a wall. Luckily he was saved by some traveling Kentuckians helping the bartender to make a proper drink. 

Since 1938, it is more or less synonymous with the Kentucky Derby after being named the official drink of the horse race. In a normal year at the Derby they serve up about 120,000 Mint Juleps over the weekend of the horse race, the first weekend in May.

The Slant glass was designed by Teruhiro Yanagihara in 2006.

Product information

This is one in a series of illustrations of classic cocktail recipes with a selection of the most beautifully designed glasses.

The size 40x50 cm (approx 16x20”) are signed and printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Bright White 310g archival paper and are sold in a limited edition of 50 prints.

The size 30x40 cm (approx 12x16”) are printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art Studio Enhanced 210g archival paper.