Happy New Year! - The Clan Macfie Society

Commander Iain who immediately
advised me the hotel bar served Mint
Juleps…. hooray! It had been right
under our noses. Jim went to the bar to
order them, and was back in the flash
of an eye. The bartender was
unfamiliar with the drink, but upon
looking it up, saw that it required fresh
mint, and…guess what? He didn’t
have any fresh mint. Can you have a
strike four?
By now, you would think I’d be
prepared to give up on the “official
drink of the South,” but we Macfies
are far more resolute than that! We
were off to dinner after the
Commander’s Reception and found a
lovely restaurant called “Virginia’s on
King” that is known for it’s authentic
Southern, Low-Country cooking. But,
if you’re a betting person, you’ll
probably be betting that they’d never
heard of the illustrious Mint
Julep…and you’d be right. Strike five!
(And if you’re calculating time, you’ve
probably figured out we’re running out
of time by now, and you’re right!)
Saturday we’re busy with the Games
and the Clan Banquet, so there’s no
opportunity to search out the now more
than ever coveted Mint Julep!
Sunday saw many of our dear Macfies,
as well as the Commander and his wife
leaving Charleston soon after the
Kirkin’ O’ the Tartans (a most
magnificent ceremony to behold!).
Since Ilah and Pam Merriman, Bobby
and we were all staying the night in
Charleston, we made plans for dinner
together. Jim made reservations at the
“Coast Restaurant,” a renowned
restaurant in the old city of Charleston.
The food was wonderful and met all
our expectations. But, what of the
Mint Julep, you may ask? Well, upon
being seated, I ordered a Mint Julep….
with zero expectations I might add.
The waiter didn’t blink an eye and was
off with our orders. He returned with
several drinks sitting atop his tray, and
I awaiting his excuse for the missing
Mint Julep, just as he sat it in front of
me! WOW! I gazed upon my
treasured Mint Julep, almost afraid to
break the spell by drinking the
hypnotizing elixir. Of course I
exclaimed my excitement over
receiving the drink to the waiter, and
he seemed surprised that I’d had any
difficulty in finding it as “we always
have them here,” according to him. I
sipped the drink and my first response
was that it was far too “liquory.” I
didn’t expect that from a refreshing
drink to be sipped all day in the
Southern heat. Of course I passed the
drink around so everyone could imbibe
in this drink that had eluded us
throughout the trip. “Ho Hum” was
the response from most of our small
group. Luckily much of the drink was
gone by the time it returned to me so I
was able to add water to top it off and
make it more palatable. I continued to
add water after every sip and by the
time it was down to about one-quarter
full, I could drink it straight.
So dear
friends, here
ends my
quest for the
famous Mint
Julep…sort of
anti-climatic I
would
imagine. But
Iain, Fiona,
Bobby, Ilah
and Pam, who had all been with me at
various times of my journey, insisted I
must write of my quest for the illusive
Mint Julep. And, my recommendation,
if you’re going down South and
planning on enjoying one of the
revered drinks of the area, bring some
fresh mint! Slainte!