Cook The Book: Celery Julep

1. 1

   Chop the celery into pieces, put them in the food processor with 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the celery seeds, and the salt, and process until the celery is a loose puree. Pass the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing the pulp to extract as much flavor as possible. You should have about 1/3 cup.

2. 2

   Add the celery juice and the remaining sugar to a small saucepan, and warm the mixture over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves. You should have about 1 cup celery syrup. (Covered with plastic wrap, the syrup will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.)

3. 3

   Fill six 9-ounce julep cups to the rim with crushed ice. Add 2 ounces of bourbon, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of celery syrup to each glass, and stir. Top up with seltzer, if desired, and garnish with the celery tops if using.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.