What’s better than a julep enhanced with flavors of chocolate and pecan to build a Triple Crown Pie julep? Nothing. Nothing is better. Visit Louisville around Derby-time and you find a local specialty, chocolate-pecan pie well-infused with bourbon called the Triple Crown Pie. This take on a traditional julep matches flavors of chocolate and pecan with the bourbon and mint. It’s a match made in heaven and choosing the right bourbon with notes of pecan and chocolate elevates the cocktail even more. When the Bourbon Women needed a julep for May even with the horses not running, I knew this was going to be a good match for what we all need on the first Saturday in May.
If you’ve done a bourbon tasting or two you’ll know that distilleries and classes often enhance a bourbon tasting with some tasty nibbles. And adding pecan and chocolates to a tasting can draw out more subtle flavors and engage drinkers in ways just a sip of neat whiskey cannot.
So let’s go ahead and do that in a cocktail. While we may not be able to watch the horses running at the Oaks or Derby this year due to the coronavirus, that doesn’t mean any of us will turn down a julep, especially one as tasty as this.
If you’re a native and you’re already making a Triple Crown Pie, well, then you’ve got the perfect garnish. The question is, “Is the garnish the pie for the julep or the julep for the pie?” Cheers to the first Saturday in May!
Now if you checked this out on Bourbon Women social media I have a little different proportions there, but I tweaked it for the specific bourbon (100 proof) and chocolate liqueur (Ballotin) that I used to make everything balance out. Cocktails are always a balance, and make sure you taste test everything before you pout into your julep cup so it’s just the way you like it.
(If you need a few more julep options, check out my julep category here. I’ve always got a few extras popping up here and there!)
Triple Crown Pie Julep
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz bourbon 100 proof if you have it
- ¾ oz Rivulet pecan liqueur
- ¾ oz Chocolate Ballotin whiskey or crème de cacao
- 3 dashes chocolate bitters
- Garnish: fresh mint sprig
Instructions
- Fill the julep cup with cracked ice. In a mixing glass or cocktail shaker, combine bourbon, pecan liqueur, chocolate liqueur and bitters. Fill with ice and stir until well chilled. Strain into a julep cup filled with cracked ice. Spank the mint sprig on your wrist and slide it into the cocktail. Place the straw right next to,the mint sprig so the mint is close to the nose as you take a sip.
Batch the Triple Crown Julep for 8-10
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups bourbon 100 proof or higher
- ¾ cup Rivulet pecan liqueur
- ¾ cup Chocolate Ballotin or creme de cacao
- ¼ cup water
- 18 -24 dashes chocolate bitters
Instructions
- Garnish: fresh mint sprigs for each cocktail. In a pitcher or empty bourbon bottle, combine all ingredients except the mint. Shake the bottle briefly (or stir the pitcher) to combine and place in the fridge until well-chilled. Add more chocolate bitters as needed to taste. To serve pour into julep cups filled with cracked ice and garnish each cocktail with a freshly spanked mint sprig just next to the straw.
