Mint julep of spirituous liquor that has mint steeped in it, taken by Virginians of a morning." Davis’ interviewee mentions his love for whiskey came from his daily preparation of the drink Americans enjoyed not only bourbon-based juleps during the nineteenth century, but also gin-based juleps made with genever, an aged gin. British Captain Frederick Marryat's 1840 book "Second Series of A Diary in America" describes on page 41 the "real mint julep" thus: The 1862 edition of "Bar-Tenders Guide: How to Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant's Companion" by Jerry Thomas includes five recipes for the mint julep (as well as an
Mint julep sweet drink, particularly one used as a vehicle for medicine. The word itself is derived from the Spanish "julepe", from Spanish Arabic, and this from the Persian word گلاب ("Golâb"), meaning rosewater. The mint julep was originally prescribed and appears in literature as early as 1784 "sickness at the stomach, with frequent retching, and, at times, a difficulty of swallowing. I then prescribed her an emetic, some opening powders, and a mint julep." An appearance of a mint julep in print came in a book by John Davis published in London in 1803, where it was described as "a dram