Mint Julep – A Beautiful Mess

The Mint Julep is a flavorful bourbon cocktail made of mint leaves, bourbon, simple syrup and bitters. It’s the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. This iconic recipe is easy to create at home.

More Cocktails: Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Aviation, Negroni, Last Word, Paper Plane, Boilermaker, Mojito.

Ingredients in a Mint Julep

• Fresh Mint Leaves – An essential ingredient for the Mint Julep is fresh mint sprigs. You will use these to muddle flavor into your cocktail as well as garnish the completed drink.
• Bourbon – Choose a high quality bourbon that you would sip for this spirit-forward drink.
• Simple Syrup – You can use store-bought or make your own simple syrup using our easy recipe.
• Bitters – Angostura Bitters are an optional addition to this classic drink.
• Ice – Crushed ice or pebble ice are the best choices for this drink. You need smaller ice to create the right experience. Large ice cubes will not do.

The Mint Julep is traditionally served in a julep cup. These cups are traditionally silver. You can certainly use any rocks glass to serve a Mint Julep, but these silver cups have a special elegance and are a well known part of the experience.

Instructions

Add simple syrup and several mint leaves to the a cocktail shaker. Muddle gently to release mint essence.

Add bourbon and ice to the shaker and shake for 10-15 seconds.

Pour over a cup filled with ice. Garnish with more fresh mint.

What does a Mint Julep taste like?

A Mint Julep tastes like a strong and sweet bourbon drink. It’s similar to an Old Fashioned or a Vieux Carré in that it is a sweet, but strong, bourbon-forward recipe. A distinction for the Mint Julep is that it also tastes strongly of mint, which gives it a unique and refreshing flavor. If you enjoy bourbon, sweet drinks and mint, you will likely love a Mint Julep.

History

The Mint Julep is the signature drink of the Kentucky Derby. This cocktail was first recorded in the 18th century in John Davis’ book from 1803, “Travels of Four and a Half Years in the United States of America.” He wrote that Virginians were drinking Mint Juleps in the morning. It’s likely the first juleps were made using cognac or brandy.

Each year, tens of thousands of Mint Juleps are served at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, and to people watching the derby around the world. In addition to being the perfect drink for Derby Day, we love the Mint Julep as a summer drink. It’s perfect for slow sipping on your front porch while you watch for fireflies.

What is the best bourbon for a Mint Julep?

While there is certainly no one correct choice, we recommend using the highest quality bourbon you have on hand for this cocktail. Since the flavor of the bourbon really shines through, it’s best to use something you would sip all by itself. Bonus points for choosing a Kentucky bourbon.

Tips for Making

• Muddle – Use a muddler tool to muddle the mint leaves, which releases a minty essence and flavor into your cocktail. You can do this in your cocktail shaker as well as the bottom of your julep cup for maximum minty essence.
• Julep Cup – While you can certainly enjoy a Mint Julep in any short glass, the experience is elevated by the silver julep cup. Much like a Moscow Mule is served in a copper mug, the silver julep cup has become ubiquitous with this recipe.
• Peppermint vs. Spearmint – There are many varieties of mint available and if you have access to more than one we have heard that spearmint is the preferred ingredient. If you have access to both, do an A/B and let us know which one you enjoy more. There are also many more varieties of mint (apple mint, chocolate mint, strawberry mint, etc.). If anyone wants to take this journey for research purposes, we support you.
• Simple Syrup Substitutes – If you like, you can use honey simple syrup or mint simple syrup for a slight variation. You can also use maple syrup or agave as a substitute.

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