So even though the Green Tea Mint Julep uses Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey as its "bourbon" of choice, it also includes green tea, honey, lemon and mint -- which made me very nervous.
Surprisingly, I found that the green tea improved the cocktail: While I couldn't taste much tea, it seemed to minimize the sweetness of the julep -- and that excessive sweetness has always been my one challenge to consuming multiple juleps.
Inspired, I next went for the Cupp O Spring ($10), Row 14's take on another classic, the Pimm's Cup. Made with Pimm's No.1, Hangar One Mandarin Blossom, ginger beer, lime and cucumber, it was so tasty that I wondered why the original Pimm's Cup didn't incorporate ginger beer. In a pinch, I've had a Pimm's Cup made with ginger ale, but the ginger beer offers a welcome twist to the old standby.
With the Belmont on Saturday, the big three horse races of the season are over -- but Row 14 has come up with a string of winners right out of the gate.