Mint Julep Recipe – A Southern Charmer with a Purpose

Mint Julep

Mint Julep in a silver Julep Glass
Mint Julep mounded with crushed ice and served in a classic silver julep cup.

Mint Julep: The Kentucky Derby Drink

When I think about a Mint Julep I remember watching a young man in seersucker surprised to be flirting with a woman twice his age. He counts the stack of souvenir glasses in his hand when she asks him how much he has had to drink. He leans into her as the bus lurches. This reminds him that he might have broken a couple of Kentucky Derby glasses earlier in the day.

He managed to keep a half dozen of the glasses intact. They represent a small fraction of the 120,000 or more mint juleps served that weekend.

I’m surprised to see he is still standing at all. Twelve hours earlier I had to drag him out of a bar at five AM. I was waiting for last call so I could graciously call it a night. I had forgotten that Louisville does away with closing times on Derby weekend.

Sometimes it rains on Derby day, but my memories are always sunny and warm. Everything in Kentucky peaks on the first Saturday in May. Cherry trees, pears and dogwoods are all in bloom. There is some foreshadowing of the oppressive heat and humidity that will come in June. When the sun shines bright a mint julep is all the cooling refreshment you could ever ask for.

What is a Mint Julep?

The Mint Julep cocktail first came into fashion in Virginia in the late 1700s. Early on, it is likely that brandy or rum were the base spirit. Considering that Kentucky was part of the Virginia territory until 1792 it was inevitable that Bourbon would become the spirit of choice for a Mint Julep.

Horse racing in Kentucky grew up alongside the Bourbon business and their paths frequently intertwine. With hindsight, it seems just as inevitable that the Mint Julep would become the official drink of the Kentucky Derby.

There is a good reason for the popularity of the Julep. Summers in Kentucky are hot and humid. In a time before air conditioning the easiest way to cool off would be a drink piled high with crushed ice. Think of a Mint Julep as a boozy snow cone.

What does a Mint Julep Taste Like?

Mint Juleps are light and a little sweet. The sprig of mint on top is as much about the aroma as it is looks. Your first impression on the drink is a nose full of grassy herbaceous mint sitting in a pile of crushed ice.

On the palate the flavor from the mint leaves will be less herbaceous and more like cooling menthol. Sweet, cold and aromatic like a peppermint. Crushed ice will dilute and chill everything quickly. This means bourbon flavors will be lighter and less pronounced. If you use a big vanilla bomb of a bourbon the combination of mint and whiskey can make for a pleasant wintergreen flavor.

This is a drink that is intended to be light and refreshing. You want to be careful not to overdo it with the spirit.

How To Make A Mint Julep?

“The zenith of man’s pleasure…the very dream of drinks.”

The Mint Julep is an interesting cocktail. It is a cocktail with a purpose. Everything about it is designed to do one thing. That thing is to cool you off. It does it really well. 

A classic mint julep recipe calls for crushed ice served in a silver cup so cold frost forms on the surface and your hand freezes to it just a little bit. When every detail is just so there is a metal straw boring deep into the mound of crushed ice. That straw is so cold it burns a little when your lips first touch it.

The sweet bourbon that is drawn up is colder than ice and contains just enough mint to make it seem just a little colder.

This is a drink from the south. It’s a drink from a time before refrigeration. It has one job. One focus. It does it pretty well. This purpose of this drink is to cool you off.

There are people who don’t like this drink. They who will complain that it’s unbalanced, or that it doesn’t showcase the bourbon properly. Or, they just don’t understand the combination of mint and whiskey. They have a lot of reasons. They’re missing the point.

Mint Julep Ingredients

The classic mint julep recipe is four relatively simple ingredients. Bourbon, which is relatively easy to come by. Fresh mint leaves – which, if you have ever set a bit of mint free in a garden, you know is the easiest thing in the world to grow. Sugar and crushed ice. Also, already in your pantry.

  • Bourbon – A mint julep is an exercise in dilution. That means there are two ways you can play this. Either go with a bold high proof monster, hoping it holds up. Or, you can comfortably reach for the bottom shelf, taking comfort in the logic that it is going to get a little washed out in the
  • Simple Syrup – Simple syrup is just that. Simple. Equal parts water and sugar. Heat the water and dissolve the sugar in hot water. Cool it all down and you have simple syrup. If you’d like to boost the mint flavor you could also try making a minty simple syrup by letting mint leaves simmer in the hot water before adding the sugar.
  • Fresh Mint Leaves – Mint is one of the easiest herbs to grow. If you are a fan of mint juleps, mojitos, or any other drink that uses mint as a garnish it’s worth it to keep a pot of mint growing nearby. This is also an easy flex for restaurants and bars. In my experience patrons are more impressed than they should be when they find out you just went out back to cut some fresh mint from the garden.
  • Crushed Ice – In some drinks ice is more of a tool, or even a byproduct. In this case, ice is a central ingredient. Getting it right requires working quickly. ideally, you want ice that is consistent. It should be roughly the size and shape of small pebbles. We’ll give you some tips for working with crushed ice in the next section.
Fresh Mint ready to pick.

How to Make a Mint Julep

The biggest problem you have to solve with a mint julep is how to crush ice without making a mess. They rest of the build is simplicity itself.

How to Crush Ice

A Lewis bag and a wooden mallet are the standard tools for crushing ice. If you are not familiar with it, a Lewis Bag is canvas sack that you fill with cubed ice and hit with a wooden mallet until you get the ice chunks the size and consistency you need.

If you don’t have a Lewis bag you can wrap your ice cubes in a dish towel and crush them with a mallet. I also like to put ice in a shaker tin and use a muddler to crush it. That works well, and is a little cleaner than using a dish towel.

I would not recommend using a blender to crush ice on its own. A blender works well when there is liquid and ice involved. If you are just trying to make crushed ice on its own in a blender the results just aren’t very good.

To Muddle Mint or Not?

Your objective with this drink is to get the light bright aromas of mint oil into the cocktail. To do that you need to press the mint leaves enough to coax them into releasing their fragrant oils into your glass.

Most mint julep recipes will tell you to muddle mint in the bottom of your glass and leave it at that. The problem is many people will muddle mint leaves into oblivion. This leads to two undesirable outcomes.

First, you will end up with lots of little bits of mint leaf in your drink. Those leafy bits will end up stuck in places you don’t want them. Mostly, in your teeth. Especially when you are taking a selfie in your new derby hat.

Secondly, and more importantly, when you tear up the leaves like that you will release more of the green herbaceous aromas from the mint. This can give your drink a vegetal flavor that doesn’t work real well in a classic mint julep.

To avoid this you can be careful to wield your muddler a little more gently. Use it to release the oils, being careful not to cut up the leaves. You can also dispense with the muddler altogether and place a mint sprig in the palm of your hand. Give it a good smack to release the oils and rub it around the inside of the glass.

How to Make Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is nothing more than equal parts water and sugar. Bring a measure of water to a gentle simmer on the stove and add the same amount of sugar. Let it simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Once it cools you can store in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Adjust to make as much or as little as you need to get you through.

Some people like to make a minty simple syrup for a bigger hit of mint. If this is you, you can make a mint simple syrup by simply putting mint leaves in the water will the syrup simmers.

Mint Julep – Cocktail Recipe

  • 2 oz. Bourbon
  • 1/2 oz. simple syrup
  • 1 bunch of mint
  1. Crush mint in your hand to release the fragrant mint oils.
  2. Rub mint around the rim of a julep glass.
  3. Drop mint into glass and fill with crushed ice.
  4. Pour bourbon and simple syrup into mixing glass filled with ice.
  5. Stir for 10-15 seconds to mix.
  6. Strain into julep glass.
  7. Garnish with a large sprig of mint.
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The mojito is the other classic mint drink. Made with rum and lime juice instead of bourbon.

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If you want to learn more about classic cocktails take a look at our cocktail recipes.

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