Cocktail: Classic Mint Julep
Classic Mint Julep
Equipment
- Silver or Pewter Cup (or a Highball Glass)
- Muddler
- Jigger
- Lewis Bag & Mallet
Ingredients
- 2 Sprigs Mint
- ¾ Oz Simple Syrup (22 ml)
- 2½ Oz Bourbon (75 ml)
- Crushed Ice
- Powdered Sugar (optional)
Instructions
- In the bottom of a highball glass add 1 mint sprig and the simple syrup.
- With the muddler, gently mash the contents in the highball glass. Just give it two good turns.
- Add the bourbon.
- Add crushed ice to the glass until it's almost full.
- Stir until the outside frosts up (if using a silver or pewter cup). If you using glass, the outside won't frost.
- Top up with more crushed ice, if needed.
- Garnish with the second sprig of mint.
- Optionally, you can dust the top of the glass with some powdered sugar.
Notes
The Drink of Kings: Mint Julep
A mint julep is an American cocktail hailing from the south, specifically the Kentucky area, around the 1770s, predating the US as a country. Over the years there have been many variations of the drink, with the base alcohol getting swapped out for rum or gin.
A rum based mint julep would be incredibly similar to a MOJITO, which predates a mint julep by over 100 years.
In the 1930s the drink became closely associated with the Kentucky Derby, becoming the official drink in 1939.
Even though the mint julep is no longer the official drink of the Derby, it is still closely linked with the race.
Fun fact, a ‘julep’ is defined as a sweet drink used in the aid of oral medicine. It mostly likely comes from the Persian word for rosewater.
Getting Your Drink Set Up
Traditionally, a mint julep is served in a silver or pewter cup, which should held by the bottom of the cup. I don’t have such serving instruments, so I do most people do; use a highball glass.
Professional will get the drink started in a mixing glass, but you can build this drink in glass.
Like the MOJITO, this is a smashed cocktail, so you need all the same equipment you would need for that.
There might be a few unfamiliar things on the equipment list. So just to get you up to speed, let’s see what we need.
First up the muddler. They look like a wand with a rubber tip that has ridges or spikes. They are used for crushing ingredients, like peels and rinds, in a glass. A muddler will usually come included in a starter cocktail set.
Second, the Lewis bag. This is a special burlap bag which is used to smash ice. Lewis bags are useful because they absorb water, leaving your crushed ice dry.
You don’t need a Lewis bag. Your freezer might make crushed ice. If you have a blender, it might also get the job done. You might also think it’s not worth effort. If you so desire, just use ice cubes. The drink will still get your drunk.
Just in case you missed our post getting your home bar up and running: COCKTAILS; GETTING STARTED
One mint julep and I’ll be ready!