The Kentucky Derby is almost upon us once again. The ‘most exciting two minutes in sports’ is the first leg of the triple crown and home to some amazing hats and more than a little bourbon. One of the most associated classic drinks with the race is the Mint Julep. So grab some pellet ice, a bottle of bourbon, some fresh minute, and we’ll explain how to make this classic for your Kentucky Derby celebration!
Mint Julep
It’s important to head into the Mint Julep with an understanding that it tastes like mint. If you’re not a fan of mint, then, in all likelihood, you won’t find the Mint Julep to be enjoyable as it is mint forward. The nice thing is that as the drink continues to dilute with the pebble ice, you will see various expressions of both the mint and bourbon. While bourbon will add fruitiness and spice, the cool mint will add refreshing herbal notes. For these reasons it’s a delightfully refreshing and spring like drink.
Drink Notes & Recommendations
Mint Juleps are easy to make and in a similar vein to an Old Fashioned but with a key focus on dilution. Using proper ice consistency is critical here, more than any other part of this drink, so we’re doing to start with that.
- Ice – In most cocktails, we think about ice as a way to introduce dilution slowly. Since this is a function of surface area, bigger ice means slower dilution and more chilling. Mint Juleps require the opposite, fast and plentiful dilution. For this purpose, you want small ice. There are a few ways to do this:
- Your Fridge’s Ice Crusher – This will work but has some drawbacks. You’ll get inconsistent sized pieces of ice but they will complete the desired effect.
- Using a Lewis Bag & Mallet – This will work better, and provide you with small if somewhat inconsistent and possibly snowed ice. It’s not perfect, but it gives you more control through more elbow grease.
- Pellet Ice – Pellet Ice is normally awful, but it’s perfect for juleps. You could buy a pellet ice maker, but that’s expensive. Go to Sonic or Chick-Fil-A and they will sell you a whole bag on the cheap.
- Bourbon – We used Buffalo Trace here for some of the cherry and oak notes, but use whatever you find most enjoyable. As the bourbon plays a prominent role, you can use better quality, just look out for the influence of mint which could amplify rye or overpower subtler notes. For more ideas, check out our Bourbon Rankings.
- Simple Syrup – We specify ½ oz here, but feel free to tweak between ¼ oz and ½ oz to find what works best for you. You can also adjust the bourbon down to 2 oz here for this purpose.
- Mint – Obviously fresh mint is important. Mint is introduced in 2 – 3 key ways in this drink. First, by muddling you impart the oils and flavors into the syrup. Second, you impart the aroma with the bouquet. The third optional way, is to smack the outside of the mug with mint, which will impart aroma and faint oils on the outside of the cup. This can be done for another layer of depth to the drink.