Sweet & Iconic – The Mint Julep Cocktail

The Mint Julep is an iconic, sweet cocktail consisting of four key ingredients: bourbon, mint leaf, sugar and water. If prepared properly, the cocktail is a smooth, balanced blend of bourbon and sweetness – perhaps the American favourite among all the bourbon cocktails. The cocktail belongs to a family of drinks known as “smashes” which also includes the popular Mojito cocktail and the Brandy Smash. The Mint Julep, as we know it today, has its roots in the Virginia / Maryland area of America, probably around the mid 1700s, although an earlier drink, referred to just as a julep, made from water and rose petals, originated in Persia several centuries before this. Today there are several variations of the Mint Julep, the most famous of these being the Kremlin Colonel, which replaced the bourbon with vodka.

Of all bourbon cocktails, no other depends so much on the level of care and expertise that goes into its creation than than the Mint Julep. It was traditionally served in a silver or stainless steel cup, where the frost would condense on the outside, however many cocktail bars now opt for the less satisfactory option of an Old-Fashioned Glass or Collins Glass. To create the unique balance of the drink, it is essential to use fresh mint, which, due to the explosion in popularity of the Mojito cocktail, is now stocked in abundance in the majority of cocktail bars. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the cocktail must be prepared using shaved or finely crushed ice. Taking lazy shortcuts such as cubed ice creates a drink which essentially tastes like mint-flavoured whiskey.

Below we show you the ingredients and how to make your own Mint Julep Cocktail

Cocktail Ingredients

50 ml Bourbon, bar spoon Granulated Sugar, 8 Mint leaves, Mint Sprigs

How to make Mint Julep

Add a bar spoon of granulated sugar into glass. Place 8 mint leaves into the glass and add 15 ml of Bourbon. Gently muddle contents of the glass. Add a further 35 ml of bourbon and then fill glass half way with crushed ice. Churn for 15 seconds and taste. Fill the remainder of the glass to the top with crushed ice. Slap mint sprigs to release flavour and add to top of drink. Place straw into drink next to mint sprigs.

History of the Mint Julep

The actual word Julep stems from an Arabic drink called julab which was made with water and rose petals and was said to have a delicate scent and flavour. This practice may have came about to make drinking water more palatable. When the drink was introduced to the Mediterranean region, the locals began to add mint instead of rose petals, as mint leaf grew in abundance in the local area. Hence, the first mint julep was born and its popularity spread across Europe. Only several  hundred years later, when the drink reached America and spirits were added, was the classic Mint Julep we know and love today truly created. The first Mint Juleps were made with rum, rye whiskey and other available spirits. Kentucky bourbon whisky wasn’t widely distributed until later in the 19^th century, when other bourbon cocktails slowly but surely began appearing.

In America, and indeed throughout the world, the Mint Julep cocktail is famously linked with the Kentucky Derby horse race, which takes place on the first Saturday every May at Churchill Downs race course in Kentucky. Since 1938, when the drink was sold for just 70 cents, the Mint Julep has been designated the official drink of the race event and over 120,000 of the cocktails are normally sold over the 2-day period, nearly all of them sold in special made Kentucky Derby Collectible glasses. Since 2006, as a charity initiative  Churchill Downs has also served premium custom-made mint juleps at a cost of 1000 dollars each at the Kentucky Derby. These Mint Juleps were in gold-plated cups with silver straws, and were made from Woodford Reserve bourbon, mint imported from Ireland, spring water ice cubes from the Bavarian Alps and sugar from Australia.