Ah, summertime. What better excuse than hot days and nights to sit back and drink what is perhaps the South's greatest contribution to civilized drinking.
Pictured above is your basic mint julep along with the necessary ingredients. I take a few leaves of mint, a teaspoon of sugar, and a tiny bit of water and grind the sugar into the leaves with the back of a spoon so that the flavor of mint is released. Then I add close to two ounces of Jack Daniels and a bunch of ice cubes and stir. Decorate with some mint sprigs, find yourself a porch with a view to the west, and watch the sun set.