For some, mint juleps come around just once a year, when the Kentucky Derby approaches (this year on May 5). But for Matt Lofink, bartender at the James Beard Award-nominated Cure in New Orleans, the storied cocktail has its place on any warm, beautiful day and “represents true Southern hospitality.”
He fondly remembers Fourth of July parties with friends and family. “There were always mint juleps at barbecues, being passed around. The incredible smell of fresh mint mixed with the sizzling sounds of the grill is something that’s been burned in my memory forever,” he said.
