Rejoice in Julep

1919 Washington Avenue

Ever since I saw its website, I thought Julep was the cutest little speakeasy that’s ever been. I specifically planned an evening that would allow me to casually suggest this bar so I could check it out. Boy, did it fail to disappoint.

It even looks minty like a julep? How did they manage to do that? So many quaint decorations with white and teal everywhere.

We parked (parked! not valet or parked and walked four blocks! Seriously, Heights. You are a neighborhood after my own heart!) and checked in with the doorman/bouncer dude. The place was pretty dead but indoor seating was already full.We hovered around the bar for a beat when a man came up to offer us a menu and let us know there was plenty of seating outside.

The bartender immediately welcomed us and we decided on, you guessed it, mint juleps. I had the classic and my friend had the sparkling. Both were so great, as we sipped each others we couldn’t decide which one was better. The regular was definitely stronger tasting, but the sparkling complimented the mint and bourbon so well.

Both were filled with hand shaven ice—julep is classy that way—but mine looked more like a sno cone than a julep, yet I loved it. I’m a huge fan of ice done right (that’s a thing, right?). We grabbed our drinks and headed to the patio and sat in one of the free metal patio furniture sets close to a fire.

The adorable, eclectic place had a perfect ambiance for a chat to interesting speakeasy music. By the time my—rather strong—julep was finished and we headed out, there were swarms of people vying for our table.