How to Make the Ultimate Mint Julep
A few new twists on the classic Kentucky Derby cocktail.
There's plenty to love about a classic mint julep. The refreshing waft of mint, the sweet touch balanced by the complex notes of bourbon, the bracing chill that comes from the mound of crushed ice frosting the metal julep cup. The sip's on-point blend of bright and boozy has made it a warm weather essential—not to mention the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. And since the Derby is well on its way (the race will run on May 4, 2024), now's the ideal time to get in a little practice so that your julep skills will be on point in time for the Run for the Roses. From classics to creative twists, these are the best julep recipes to have on hand for the Derby—and many days beyond.
The Classic
Ingredients
1.5 oz Bulleit Bourbon
.75 oz simple syrup or a teaspoon sugar
4 mint leaves and a sprig of mint
Instructions
Prepare some very cold very dry crushed ice with chunks of ice and a canvas ice bag. "Bruise" the mint leaves in the bottom of a julep cup with sugar syrup. Add ice to the three quarter mark and half of the bourbon. Stir to chill the julep cup. Top off with more powdered ice and the remaining bourbon and continue to stir until the outside of the cup begins to freeze. Garnish with the mint sprig and set aside to rest while the julep cup freezes over on the outside. Pick up carefully to imbibe.
Cruzan Hats Off Julep
Ingredients
2 oz Cruzan Estate Diamond Dark Rum
1.5 oz Turbinado syrup*
Pinch fresh mint leaves
3 blackberries
Ice, Crushed
Instructions
Muddle mint and berries in a julep cup. Add rum and Turbinado syrup and fill with crushed ice. Take a bouquet of mint and rinse with water, then sprinkle mint with powdered sugar and garnish with 3 speared blackberries.
*Turbinado Syrup: Combine 8 parts hot water and 8 parts Turbinado sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate. Will last for 30 days.
Carthusian Julep
Ingredients
1 oz Maker’s Mark Bourbon
6 mint leaves
.5 oz green Chartreuse
Pebble ice
Mint sprigs
Thyme
Instructions
Muddle the mint leaves gently with Chartreuse in the bottom of a cup. Then, add the bourbon and fill halfway with pebble ice. Stir these ingredients briefly and then add a metal straw and pack the glass full of pebble ice. To finish, garnish with lots of mint and thyme.
By Jayce McConnell for Edmund’s Oast in Charleston, SC
Bless Your Heart
Ingredients
1.5 oz Maker’s Mark Bourbon
1 barspoon Bonne Maman blueberry jam
2 large basil leaves
Pebble ice
1 large basil sprig
Powdered sugar
1 dash Angostura bitters
Instructions
Muddle the bourbon, blueberry jam, and basil leaves. Top with pebble ice and garnish with basil sprig and a dusting of powdered sugar. For the final touch, add a dash of Angostura bitters on top of the sprig.
Created by Kristina Magro for Sportsman’s in Chicago
Hibiscus Julep
Ingredients
1 oz Old Forester Signature 100 Proof
1 oz Old Forester Classic 86 Proof
.75 oz Hibiscus Syrup**
1 barspoon Becherovka Liqueur
8-10 mint leaves
3 mint sprigs, for garnish (hibiscus flower, if available)
Instructions
Rub 8-10 mint leaves inside a double old fashioned glass. Add bourbons, liqueur, and syrup. Pack with crushed ice. Garnish with 3 generous sprigs of mint.
**Hibiscus Syrup: Bring 1 cup water to boil, reduce heat, add 2 hibiscus tea bags, steep 15 minutes, discard. Dissolve 1 cup sugar into tea. Store in refrigerator.
Ken-Tiki Derby Julep
Ingredients
2 oz G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Champagne
1.5 oz Jameson Black Barrel
.5 oz lime juice
.25 pineapple syrup
4-5 mint leaves
Instructions
In a highball glass, combine mint, pineapple syrup, and lime juice. Gently muddle the ingredients, and add in the whiskey. Add crushed ice and light stir to combine ingredients. Top with champagne and add in more crushed ice. Dash 2-3 of angostura bitters on top. Garnish with pineapple leaves and mint.
Silver Cup
Ingredients
1.75 oz TINCUP American Whiskey
.5 oz Lustau Pedro Ximénez Sherry
.25 oz Peach Street Distillers Peach Brandy
8 mint leaves
Instructions
In a julep glass, muddle the mint leaves with the sherry, then add the rest of the spirits and pebble ice. Swizzle, then add more pebble ice (forming a mound) and three mint sprigs for garnish. Serve with a steel straw.
"Thinned" Mint Julep
Ingredients
1.5 oz Widow Jane Bourbon
8-10 fresh mint leaves
.5 tsp sugar
1.5-3 oz water (to taste)
Splash of lime juice
Instructions
Tear up the mint leaves and put into a julep cup before gently muddling with half-teaspoon of sugar. Fill a glass halfway with crushed ice. Add bourbon, water (to taste, depending on how strong you want the drink to be), and splash of lime juice. Fill the rest of the glass with crushed ice. Stir vigorously until the outside of the glass frosts. Add a straw and snow cone-like dome of crushed ice on top and garnish with mint sprig.
Basil Hayden’s Bourbon Thyme Julep
Ingredients
2 oz Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
1 bar spoon simple syrup
1 dash Angostura bitters
6 fresh thyme sprigs (one for garnish)
Instructions
Muddle fresh thyme in a rocks glass. Combine remaining ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until cold. Fine strain into a rocks glass filed with ice. Garnish with a toasted thyme sprig.
By Frank Liotti
Cucumber Julep
Ingredients
1.5 oz Reyka Vodka
2 oz fresh squeezed cucumber juice
.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz simple syrup
6-8 mint leaves
Crushed ice
Instructions
Stir ingredients. Garnish with mint sprig and cucumber slice.
Courtesy of The Leadbelly, New York City
Mint Julep Spritzer
Ingredients
2 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon
.5 oz simple syrup
Prosecco (or soda water)
8-10 mint leaves
Instructions
Muddle mint and syrup in the bottom of glass. Add bourbon and fill the glass with ice. Top with prosecco or soda water and use a spoon to lift and stir all ingredients until chilled. Garnish with a large sprig of mint
Derby Day Julep
Ingredients
5 large fresh mint leaves
.5 oz of demerara simple syrup in a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water
2.5 oz Woodford Reserve bourbon
Instructions
Gently tap the mint leaves against your palms to release aromas. Rub the mint leaves along the inside of the julep cup and drop them into the cup. Add the remaining ingredients. Add crushed ice and swizzle until the julep cup frosts over. Add more crushed ice and garnish with plentiful mint.
Courtesy of Eleven Madison Park, New York City
Mint Julep Slushie
Ingredients
5 oz bourbon
3 oz simple syrup
5 to 6 mint leaves
Instructions
Fill glass with ice and pour into blender. Muddle mint leaves in a glass. Pour bourbon and simple syrup into glass. Shake well and add to blender. Blend well. Garnish with sprig of mint.
Courtesy of Pork Slope in Brooklyn, New York
Menta Julep
Ingredients
2 oz Woodford Reserve bourbon
.25 oz Fernet Branca
1 oz lime juice
1 oz simple syrup
1.5 oz Reed's Ginger Beer
Mint sprig
Preparation
Combine Woodford Reserve, Fernet Branca, lime juice, and simple syrup in a mixing glass. Shake vigorously with fresh ice and strain while simultaneously pouring ginger beer over crushed ice into Copper Julep cup. Garnish with sprig of mint.
Courtesy of LAVO Las Vegas
Georgia Mint Julep
Ingredients
2 oz Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège Cognac
.25 oz apricot brandy
.25 oz simple syrup
8 tender mint sprigs
Instructions
Place 8 mint sprigs in the bottom of the julep cup, and add the liquids. Fill cup half-full with crushed ice, stir to combine, and chill. Top with more crushed ice to just above the rim of the glass. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig and a small dusting of powdered sugar on top.
Peach Mint Julep
Ingredients
1 oz rye bourbon
1 oz simple syrup
1 oz Peach Shrub*
4 mint leaves
Crushed ice
1 peach, cored, wedged
Instructions
In a cocktail shaker, add crushed ice, bourbon, simple syrup, and peach shrub. Slap your mint leaves to release the oils, and add to the shaker. Shake and strain over more crushed ice. Finish with fresh mint and a peach slice to garnish.
*Peach shrub—Combine 1 cup sugar and a cup of water to a saucepan. Heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add 4 cored, diced medium peaches (about 1 pound) and simmer until the peaches’ juice blends well into the syrup. Let mixture cool and strain. Add .5 cup Carandini Bianca Sweet White Vinegar to the syrup and store in the fridge.
Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.
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