Trial No. 1: Mint and Pepsi

My sister has given me a challenge: to make a mint julep without bourbon. This is quite a challenge considering that bourbon is the essential ingredient without which one does not have a julep. But perhaps we might come close with a cola — not that bourbon and Coca-Cola taste alike, but that each might serve a similar purpose as the foundation of the drink.

So the first attempt was this, and while good on its own merits, does not taste anything like a mint julep.

In a glass, muddle eight leaves of mint with a teaspoon of sugar. Crush ten or so cubes of ice, and fill the glass. Pour in 4 oz. of Pepsi-Cola, and stir. Serve to your teetotalling friends, if you have any.