The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-01

A PROVIDENCE, r. l., man who is
~ connoisseur in things good to eat
y and drink, to wear, to read and to
lce,. was in Washington recently when
fee.ns came over him that he would
like to have what he had not enjoyed for
several years, a real southern mint julep.
the kind that he and others read about,
and that are dispensed in the private
club rooms of southern cities by leading
citizens, accompanied by the traditional
manifestations of southern hospitality
and courtesy
4 Washington friend undertook to sat
isfy the whm. or craving, of his New
England friend, and together they en-
tered hotel near the capitol and the
union railroad station. 1t was a fine
place, but lacking evidence of prosperity
and popularity. As the two men entered
the cafe on the ground floor group Of
obsequious but idle walters arose and
reproachfully gazed at them as they
passed on though the buffet, via the bar
ber shop, where two "tonsorial artists"
were fast asleep in the upholstered rose
wood machines called barber chairs.~
At the cash register of the ornate bar
an elderly gentleman was doing and
there was no evidence whatever of life in
the gilded and glass bedecked room. The
old gentleman said. however, in reply to
query that he thought mint julep
could be mixed there and he rang ID
bell. Several minutes later, the only
sound in the meantime being the huzzing
of the electric fan, the barkeeper en-
tered, adjusting white apron as he
leisurely took his place. with an eH-
preston indicating that what was in his
mind was, WELL I wonder what will
happen next" IIe was an old man,
somewhere on the shady side of seventy,
and had all the earmarks of southern
brigadier of the type that up to a few
years ago was typical congressman
When asked If he could make good mint
julep he merely nodded in an affirmative
but disgruntled sort OF way and then
waited until told to make two. Then
the process began.
disappearing for several minutes the
colonel, as the visitors afterward desig-
mated him. returned with two blfnches Of
mint, the delicious aroma of which
showed that it was fresh and crisp.
placing two glasses on the bar he dis
solved a lump of hard sugar in each
by means of tablespoonful Of water.
Then selecting shreds of the mint as
carefully as If he were selecting pearls
for a brides necklace he placed bunch
in each blass. folding the bottom ends
into the dissolved and now thoroughly
stirred sugar and pushing the tops back
from the rim of the glass. Then he
added cracked ice, cracking it as care
fully as he selected the mint, until the
glasses were two-thirds full. After this
the dignified barkeeper strolled delibe-
rately to the other end OF the long bar
and returned with a bottle of whiskey
that bore a popular label and date show
! ing that is was only slightly younger
than the man who carried it, Putting
large jigger of this into each glass the
confederate brigadier next, by the same
process of selection. collected two more
lur ches of mint, which he inserted piece
by piece into concoction and added a
little more cracked ice. Up to this time
/ exactly II minutes had been consumed
since the glasses were placed ON the
bar to receive the sugar and water, ana
the thirsty patrons thought the beverage
was ready for them.
! But not yet. Going off to the opposite
end of the bar the courtly mint julep
mixer returned with little bottle the
| label OF which he carefully concealed by
covering 1t with his hand. Squirt, squirt.
; lie put dash Of something Into each
glass, went away back to the shelf