Cocktail recipe
Mint Julep
A silver-cold Kentucky classic, fragrant with mint and built for slow summer afternoons.
Ingredients
- 60 ml (2 oz) bourbon whiskey
- 10 ml (⅓ oz) rich simple syrup (2:1)
- 8 fresh spearmint leaves
- Garnish: 1 large fresh mint bouquet
Preparation
Lay the mint leaves in the cup and gently press with syrup just enough to release their oils—never grind them. Add bourbon and a scoop of crushed ice, then churn briefly until the outside of the cup begins to frost. Pack a high dome of crushed ice and bury a generous mint bouquet beside a short straw so its aroma arrives before the first sip.
Glassware
Silver julep cup or chilled rocks glass, crushed ice
History
The julep predates the Kentucky Derby by more than a century. An American description from 1793 refers to rum, sweetened water and mint; John Davis described Virginia morning juleps in 1803. Early drinks could use brandy, rum or other spirits, so bourbon cannot be called the original universal base. As Kentucky whiskey gained cultural prominence, bourbon became the familiar regional expression. Churchill Downs dates the Derby’s souvenir julep cups to 1937 and its official drink association to the 1930s. No individual inventor is established.
Mixology View
A julep is an exercise in temperature, aroma and restraint. The ice is part of the architecture, not an afterthought; the mint should perfume rather than shred. Our bourbon build is the Derby-era standard, not a claim about the eighteenth-century original.