{"id":380,"date":"2011-05-07T20:17:00","date_gmt":"2011-05-07T20:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enrilemoine.com\/2011\/05\/07\/mint-julep-and-a-toast-to-the-southern-way-of-life\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T18:54:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T22:54:07","slug":"anejo-mint-julep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enrilemoine.com\/en\/2011\/05\/07\/anejo-mint-julep\/","title":{"rendered":"Mint Julep \u2014 Recipe with Ron de Venezuela"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This mint julep made with\u00a0Ron de Venezuela<\/a><\/em>\u00a0is ready in 5 minutes \u2014 fresher, smoother, and more complex than the classic bourbon version. The rum, aged in American oak barrels, adds a caramel depth that transforms this iconic Southern cocktail into something completely its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As a member of the\u00a0Amazon Affiliate Program<\/a>\u00a0and other affiliate programs, I receive compensation for products sold through the affiliate links in this post at no cost to the buyer.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t

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  1. Ca\u00f1onero II and the Kentucky Derby<\/a>
  2. Ingredients<\/a>
  3. How to Make a Mint Julep with Aged Rum<\/a>
  4. FAQs<\/a>
  5. Other Classic Cocktails Reinvented with Ron de Venezuela<\/a>
  6. Ron de Venezuela Mint Julep Recipe<\/a><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n
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    Ca\u00f1onero II and the Kentucky Derby<\/em><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Every May takes me back to the 1971 Kentucky Derby. Ca\u00f1onero II \u2014 a Venezuelan thoroughbred that arrived at Churchill Downs as a virtual unknown \u2014 won the most famous horse race in America starting from post position 18, winning by 3\u00be lengths. His jockey was Venezuelan Gustavo \u00c1vila. All of Venezuela stopped.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I was barely 10 years old, but I remember it like yesterday: the euphoria, the headlines, the pride. Ca\u00f1onero II didn’t just win the Kentucky Derby \u2014 he went on to win the Preakness Stakes two weeks later, one race short of the Triple Crown.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Every first Saturday in May, when Churchill Downs dresses up and the Kentucky Derby takes over every screen, I go back to that memory and celebrate the way it deserves: with a mint julep \u2014 but with a twist.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I discovered the real mint julep at Employees Only<\/a>, a legendary bar in the West Village where mixologists Jason Kosmas and Dusahn Zaric serve it in a rocks glass and in their book Speakeasy<\/a> they place the mint julep at the top of the cocktail Olympus, alongside the Martini, the Manhattan, and the Sazerac. They’re right<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My julep skips the bourbon in favor of Ron de Venezuela, which is aged in American oak barrels originally used to age bourbon. Poetic, isn’t it?*<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u00a1Salud!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Enri<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n

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    \"Enri<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Ingredients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"spearmint<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    To make this mint julep you’ll need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n