In my first week back in Ithaca over the summer, I stopped by the Ithaca Farmers Market and equipped myself with four small planters of basil.

While waiting for the inevitable sprouting of a harvestable amount of basil, I consoled myself with a large bunch of mint, which is doing its best to take over my friend’s garden. Mint drinks make an excellent addition to any repertoire, especially in summer, when the fresh taste of mint perfectly complements the copious ice and light sweetness of a highball or julep.

Unfairly derided as a denizen of the old South, the mint julep, made with bourbon, is an upstanding member of the julep family of drinks, of which it has become the sole representative in recent years. It is simple to prepare and perfect for a hot, lazy afternoon. A julep contains:

several sprigs of mint, to taste

1/2 oz simple syrup

2 oz bourbon

shaved or cracked ice

To begin, wash the mint, strip the leaves from the stem, and muddle them in a glass or julep cup (muddling is essentially crushing with a pestle-like implement to bring out the mint’s flavor. If all else fails, a blunt-ended wooden spoon will work just fine) with simple syrup until the resulting mixture smells strongly of mint. Simple syrup is essentially sugar water and is thus easy to make yourself. Mix equal parts water and granulated sugar, and heat slowly in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved; cool before using.

Once you’ve combined the mint and syrup, fill the cup with cracked or shaved ice and stir. Cracked ice is as simple as taking a hammer to some ice you’ve put in a bag (a towel is always a welcome intermediary between a rock and hard place). Pour in two ounces of bourbon and garnish with a full sprig of mint. If you have the aforementioned fridge, chilling it before drinking will also give the mint taste time to develop without letting the ice melt.

The smooth richness of the bourbon blends perfectly with the crisp, slightly sweet mint, and the ice is essential for diluting the otherwise-fiery whiskey into the sort of thing that one might imagine Ms. O’Hara consuming back in the old antebellum.

If you like mint, you might want to try the Mojito, a classic drink legendarily created by pirates during the pillaging of Cuba. The Mojito can be made in a simple pint or highball glass, and involves:

2 oz light rum

juice of 1/2 a lime, or 1 oz

1/2 oz simple syrup

1-2 large sprigs of mint leaves

Club soda

Put the lime juice, simple syrup, and mint in your glass and muddle gently. Add ice (the more the better) and pour in your rum. Finally, fill the glass with club soda, which should mix the lime juice and rum while the mint stays at the bottom.

For the Mojito, I used Bacardi Superior light rum, which is probably the closest thing you can get to rum from Cuba. If you happen to be outside the US, though, try some Havana Club, Cuba’s own nationalized rum.

So, as the summer is ending, it’s time to kick back with a cold mint drink and appreciate the passing of another fine season here in Ithaca.