Mint Julep
Mint, bourbon, frosted silver.
Bourbon, fresh mint and a touch of sugar over a mound of crushed ice, served in the classic steel cup that frosts over. A drink of the American South, cool and aromatic yet carrying the full strength of the whiskey.
- IBA · Contemporary Classics
- After dinner
- Muddled
- Glass
- Julep cup
- Method
- Muddled
- Strength
- Strong
- Time
- 4 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Ice
- Crushed
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Mint
4 sprigs
-
Powdered sugar
1 tsp
-
Water
2 tsp
-
Bourbon whiskey
60 ml
Garnish
- Mint sprig
Proportions
How to make
- Place the mint in the julep cup.
- Add the powdered sugar.
- Add the water.
- Gently muddle the mint with sugar and water.
- Fill the cup with crushed ice.
- Pour the bourbon.
- Stir well until the cup frosts.
- Garnish with a mint sprig.
The story
Origins
DocumentedOrigin attested by written sources of the time.
The name comes from the Persian gulab, rosewater, and for centuries a julep was a medicinal syrup. As an alcoholic mint drink it emerges in America: in 1803 John Davis, in his Travels in the United States, described it as a dram of spirits with mint taken by Virginians in the morning. Early versions used brandy, rum or whiskey; Jerry Thomas listed several in 1862, including a whiskey julep. Tradition says novelist Frederick Marryat introduced it to Britain in 1839. Over time bourbon became the preferred base, and since 1938 the Mint Julep has been the official drink of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Taste profile
- Strong
- 4 out of 5
- Fresh
- 4 out of 5
- Herbal
- 3 out of 5
- Sweet
- 2 out of 5
