A silver cup filled with bourbon, sugar, ice, and mint is a decidedly Southern tradition.
The diminutive form is ubiquitous, much loved, and very collectible. And while the moniker may be Southern, the vessel's origins, ironically, are not.
"The term julep cup is a modern name given to the cups," says Scott Erbes, curator of decorative arts at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville. "Although they were made in large quantities in this part of the country, they weren't made solely for mint juleps, although it is a nice thought."
Perhaps it's a slightly intoxicating pride or just suspended disbelief that leads us to assume Southerners invented the form. But silver drinking vessels without handles enjoyed a respectable popularity on other continents long before the Bluegrass region was ever associated with horses, hats, and the Kentucky Derby. Whereas others know the form as a beaker, a tumbler, or even just a cup, in the South we call our mint julep cups by their full name, albeit a nickname and a peculiarity nonetheless.
Nineteenth-century silversmiths, such as Kentuckians Asa Blanchard, George Plimpton, and John B. Akin, made highly collectible cups of coin silver that today are valued from several hundred dollars to more than $4,000 apiece. As with any antique, there's a limited supply, but coin silver cups are out there, especially in the regions that celebrated the form. "There were a lot of silversmiths in this part of the country," says Erbes. "Asa Blanchard is one of the best known. His shop was incredibly prolific, and a lot of his pieces have survived. And Kentucky silver collectors know who the rare makers are. That can certainly affect value, as there's a certain cachet to pieces by rare makers."
The form most likely became linked with agriculture and racing in the early part of the 19th century when cups were awarded as prizes at fairs and races, says Pat Burnett of Wakefield-Scearce Galleries in Shelbyville, Kentucky. "The proprietor of the Pheonix Hotel offered a silver pitcher to the winner of a meet at the Lexington Jockey Club. He continued to donate that trophy through the 1840s. So silver pieces probably began to serve as trophies due to him."
The mint julep drink, originally a strong mix of rum, sugar, and water, is thought to have its origins in Virginia, where it was considered an early morning tonic. The recipe spread across the country, sometimes featuring rum, brandy, or gin. It later became the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. The recipe, as well as the method of serving it, stuck.
Though sometimes hard to find, the cups are throughout the South--usually where there was wealth. Silversmiths succeeded in prosperous areas where clients commissioned cups and spoons. British silversmiths were on the sterling standard, which is 925 parts silver of 1,000 parts metal. Their American counterparts followed their young Congress' silver definition of a minimum of 900 parts silver of 1,000. Named coin because its value was that of the currency of the day, Southern coin silver could have more silver than sterling since the coin standard specified only a minimum amount. Because much was melted down during and after the Civil War, pieces that survive are especially desirable. "Early pieces are pretty plain," says Bruce Shelton of Shelton Gallery in Nashville. "But the earlier, the better."
Sources:
cups from Shelton Gallery and Fine Jewelry
5133 Harding Road, B-10
PMB 392
Nashville, TN 37205
615/477-6221
and Wakefield-Scearce Galleries
525 Washington St.
Shelbyville, KY 40065
502/633-4382
www.wakefield-scearce.com.
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