Kentucky Bartenders Share Their 5 Top Tips for Making a Mint Julep & Riffs
The same way that not just any combination of liquids poured into a Martini glass resembles the classic libation in name, form or flavor, just because you mound crushed ice over booze and sugar in a silver cup doesn’t mean it’s a Mint Julep. That’s not to say that you can’t have fun with the original recipe. Just that it should still be worthy of being sipped by the seersucker suit-clad and fascinator-adorned set on Derby Day at Churchill Downs--or at your backyard bash. Go ahead, flavor your sweetener with herbs or fruit, add some citrus juice, or play with the garnish; but if you want to stick to tradition, just keep it relatively recognizable. To get you started, here are some recipes and inspo from Kentucky bars located in the heart of horse country:
How to Make the Perfect Julep
Use crushed ice, not cubes
“The Mint Julep is a ‘build’ cocktail, which means you make it straight into the glass,” explains Oliver Griffen, assistant beverage manager at Keeneland Hospitality. “The crushed ice melts and ‘cuts’ the cocktail.” Since the Julep is all booze and sweetener, you need all that ice to give it the proper dilution. If you don’t have a crushed ice setting on your freezer at home, use a Lewis bag and mallet to crack your own, suggests Jordan Tycer, food and beverage supervisor at Castle & Key Distillery.
Add a hit of acid
“The Julep is a naturally sweet drink, so adding a touch of lemon or lime juice can balance the cocktail and make it more refreshing,” Tycer says. Fresh (not canned) pineapple juice can also lend an unexpected tang that plays nicely off the mint.
Consider glassware an ingredient, not an afterthought
“We love the beauty of a sterling mint Julep cup,” admits Leslee Macpherson, beverage director of Holly Hill Restaurant Group. ”But if you don’t have one a highball glass works just as well.” The stainless steel will keep the cocktail colder longer; you can also substitute copper Mule mugs.
Reach for Kentucky Bourbon
Sure, there is fantastic Bourbon distilled all across the U.S. But considering that it’s a ritual to drink Juleps at the Derby, a yearly event that’s inextricably linked to Kentucky, give a nod to the Commonwealth and its storied Bourbon legacy by picking a local brand.
Remember to tuck in a straw
Guests won’t be able to sip all that boozy minty deliciousness without one, so no matter how you adorn the glass, top it all off by adding a metal, paper or bamboo straw.
Mint Julep Riffs
Castle & Key Julep photo credit Castle & Key
Kentucky / Charente Julep
Recipe courtesy of Jordan Tycer, Food & Beverage Supervisor, Castle & Key, Frankfurt, KY
This cocktail hails from the craft producer in Frankfurt housed in the old Taylor distillery built-in 1887, which closed during Prohibition, fell into ruin, and was purchased and restored several years ago. Today you can tour and taste their portfolio of Bourbon, rye, and several iterations of gin including seasonal expressions, then stay for a draft cocktail flight at their bar. For this Julep riff, Tycer adds a regional aperitif from western France that’s made by fortifying unfermented or lightly fermented grape juice with Cognac. It adds a hint of woody apple flavor that pairs well with the Bourbon.
2 oz.Castle & Key Small Batch Bourbon
½ oz. Pineau des Charentes
8 mint leaves
Mint sprig and orange peel, for garnish
Combine the first three ingredients in a Julep cup and gently muddle the mint. Fill halfway with crushed ice, stir, fill the rest of the way, mounding the ice over the rim. Garnish with the mint sprig and orange peel.
Elderflower Rye Julep
Recipe courtesy of Jordan Tycer, Food & Beverage Supervisor, Castle & Key, Frankfurt, KY
For this Julep variation, spicy rye is offset with sweet, heady elderflower liqueur which stands in for simple syrup. If you have ever played around with this ingredient in cocktails, you know that a little goes a long way. If you still find it to be too overpowering, lessen the amount or add in a little lemon juice to balance things out.
2 oz. Restoration Rye Batch 3
¼ oz. elderflower liqueur (St. Germain or St. Elder)
8 mint leaves
Mint sprig, for garnish
Combine the first three ingredients in a Julep cup and gently muddle the mint. Fill halfway with crushed ice, stir, fill the rest of the way, mounding the ice over the rim. Garnish with the mint sprig.
Julep at Keeneland photo credit Emily Cappiello
Classic Mint Julep…With a Twist
Recipe courtesy of Oliver Griffen, Assistant Beverage Manager, Keeneland, Lexington, KY
The thoroughbred racing season at Lexington racecourse Keeneland runs for three weeks in April--right before the racing season at Churchill Downs that includes the Derby. Though their official cocktail is the Keeneland Breeze, with Bourbon, orange curacao and ginger beer, the bar staff serves their fair share of Juleps, too. Griffen’s ingenious spin uses mint-infused simple syrup in place of the usual sweet sugar-based minty paste. “If you are having a big Derby party and don’t want to spend all day muddling, then making the simple syrup ahead of time may be the best idea for you,” he says. Keep in mind that the flavor of steeped mint will be a little bit different from that of fresh, and this syrup oxidizes rather quickly, so plan on making it the day you serve it for the best flavor.
1 ½ oz. Bourbon
1 oz. mint-infused simple syrup (see Note)
Mint sprig and powdered sugar, for garnish
Add the Bourbon and infused syrup to a Julep cup and stir to combine. Fill halfway with crushed ice, stir, fill the rest of the way, mounding the ice over the rim. Garnish with the mint sprig and a dusting of powdered sugar.
For the mint-infused simple syrup:
Combine ½ cup white sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and add 1 bunch mint sprigs. Steep for 10 minutes or until desired flavor is achieved. Strain out solids and store the syrup in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Strawberry Mint Julep
Recipe courtesy of Oliver Griffen, Assistant Beverage Manager, Keeneland, Lexington, KY
Keeneland will host its own Derby party on May 7, when well-heeled members and guests will mix and mingle in box and bench seats to watch the big race on the screen. Griffen’s favorite play on the Mint Julep is to add in some fruit, either by way of an infused syrup, or--as in this sip--with freshly muddled fruit.
1 ½ oz. Bourbon
1 oz. simple syrup (see Note)
2 sliced strawberries
5 torn mint leaves
Mint sprig, sliced strawberries and powdered sugar, for garnish
Combine the first four ingredients in a Julep cup and gently muddle the mint. Fill halfway with crushed ice, stir, fill the rest of the way, mounding the ice over the rim. Garnish with the mint sprig, sliced strawberries and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Woodford Reserve French Julep photo credit Woodford Reserve
The French Mint Julep
Recipe courtesy of Woodford Reserve, Versailles, KY
Woodford Reserve is the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby--an honor it garnered in 2017 and that it will hold until 2023. Each year, the brand releases a limited number of $1,000 and $2,500 Mint Julep Cups for purchase and pick up at Churchill Downs on Derby Day, with proceeds benefiting Old Friends Farm, a non-profit thoroughbred retirement farm. This year’s cups celebrate the connections between Kentucky and France (the distillery is located in Versailles, Kentucky, after all) and are handmade by Louisville jeweler From the Vault.
2 oz. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
2 tsp. Honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water, stirred to combine)
2 lemon peels, 1 reserved for garnish
2 orange peels, 1 reserved for garnish
2 fresh pomegranate arils, plus a pomegranate slice with arils for garnish
1 bunch fresh lemon mint sprigs, for garnish
In a Julep cup, add the honey syrup, 1 lemon and 1 orange peel and 2 pomegranate arils, and muddle. Fill the cup ⅔ of the way with crushed ice, add the Bourbon, and top off the cup with more crushed ice. Garnish by tucking in a fresh bunch of lemon mint and the reserved lemon and orange peels on the side. Top with the pomegranate arils.