Mint Julep

spirits (rum or brandy initially, whiskey after the Civil War), sugar, water (ice) and mint (and sometimes a float of this or that)

One of the earliest and most essential American drinks, begun in Virginia by the 1780s, but fully realized by 1810, with the addition of ice, leading to universal popularity until Prohibition. It is impossible to overstate the importance of the julep to the elaboration of American iced drinks and the professionalization of drink mixing—the julep was the crucible on which reputations were made for decades. The julep became the first fancy American drink. Currently underappreciated.