The Overall Julep

Have you ever mixed gin and rye whiskey before? 

I didn't think it sounded good either. Now I want to do it always.

The overall julep (St. Louis style) is a summer garden party in a glass.

Sweet, sour, tart, fizz, it's a complicated taste in a tasty approachable little drink.

OVERALL JULEP--St. Louis Style

Our redaction:

Overall Julep - St. Louis Style

1.5 oz. Rye whiskey

1.5 oz. Gin

1 oz. homemade grenadine 

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Juice of 1/2 lime

Combine in a shaker with ice and shake well.  Strain into a tall glass, top with soda water and serve. 

Bullock's original recipe:

Overall Julep - St. Louis Style

Use a large Mixing glass; fill with Lump Ice.

2/3 Wineglass Rye Whiskey.

2/3 Wineglass Gordon Gin.

1/2 Wineglass Imported Grenadine.

Juice 1/2 Lemon.

Juice 1/2 Lime.

Shake well; pour into tall, thin glass; add one bottle Imported Club Soda and serve.

I was pleasantly surprised by the overall julep. My first sip made me dream of garden parties and punch bowls with tiny crystal cups. There's something magic about the combination of fizzy and tart. It's not a common combination, but it should be. We used New Amsterdam gin, so the botanicals didn't really shine, but that's all right here.  The lemon juice and lime juice combine with the grenadine to give a tart-but-not-too-tart flavor that blends well with the rye and gives the whole drink a good balance. 

Here’s the important thing: Bullock did NOT use Rose's grenadine, that unnaturally red syrup you can buy at the grocery store. Grenadine has strayed far from its roots, but the original was a syrup made from pomegranate juice.  It’s sweet and tart and preposterously easy to make (try it now!).   This explains why our Overall Juleps are not the color of Kool-Aid.  We made real grenadine for the first time this week, and now that we’ve discovered how delightful it is, you’ll be seeing it again in these pages. 

This was my first encounter with any kind of julep other than the usual whiskey-and-mint concoction.  Interestingly, Bullock’s book lists four different juleps – this one, the familiar mint julep, and two others – none of which have much in common with one another, save that they are all summer drinks.  We’ll have to do some more research and write an entry about juleps at some stage. 

It strikes me that this would be a perfect sort of drink to mix in batch and serve for a party. I'll leave the scaling to you.