Strong, sweet, and heady with the fragrance of fresh mint, mint juleps are a popular classic for good reason. The simple combination of good bourbon, rich simple syrup, and aromatic mint leaves is supremely refreshing. And it's a cocktail that is incredibly quick and easy to prepare. This delightful drink is perfect for celebrating the arrival of spring or just for cooling down whenever summer gets hot.

Mint julep served in a silver julep cup garnished with a sprig of mint next to a green and white striped straw.

This cocktail is practically mandatory alongside a Hot Brown. And then for dessert, Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce or a batch of Bourbon Blondies each make an excellent choice.

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Ingredients for Mint Julep
Instructions for Mint Julep
Use a Traditional Julep Cup
Crushed Ice is Key
Top tip
Related
Pairing
📖 Recipe

Ingredients for Mint Julep

bourbon
rich simple syrup (or honey simple syrup)
fresh mint
crushed ice

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions for Mint Julep

Mint leaves being held over a silver julep cup next to a couple sprigs of mint.

Pluck several mint leaves from their stem and place them in the bottom of your julep cup. (Aim for around 6 to 8 large leaves...or more if they are small.)

Clear liquid being poured from a steel jigger into a silver julep cup with mint leaves in the bottom next to a small jar of clear liquid.

Add the rich simple syrup.

Mint leaves being pressed with a wooden muddler in a silver julep cup next to a small jar of clear liquid.

Then gently press the mint leaves into the syrup with a muddler.

Brown liquid being poured from a steel jigger into a silver julep cup next to a bottle of bourbon.

Add the bourbon.

Handful of crushed ice being held over a silver julep cup next to a glass bowl of crushed ice and a bar spoon.

Next fill the cup about half full with crushed ice.

Brown liquid and crushed ice being stirred with a bar spoon in a silver julep cup next to a glass bowl of crushed ice.

Stir until the bourbon is well chilled and the outside of the cup becomes very frosty, at least 30 seconds.

Crushed ice being dropped into a silver julep cup in front of a glass bowl of crushed ice.

Then add more crushed ice until the cup is very full and the ice forms a little dome on top.

Garnish with a large mint sprig, pop in a straw, and enjoy!

Hint: For best results, be mindful when it comes to handling your mint...you want to be gentle with those leaves in the bottom of your julep cup, but firm with that sprig for garnishing the top. In other words, don't over-muddle your mint leaves in the cup. You want to avoid tearing them, since that can bring out some unpleasant bitterness. A few easy presses with the muddler is entirely sufficient. But when it comes to that showy mint sprig destined to serve as garnish at the rim, a quick and vigorous slap against your hand will help release its fragrance before tucking it into the finished cocktail.

Use a Traditional Julep Cup

The traditional vessel for this drink is a sleek and tapered tumbler that is typically made of silver or pewter. You can certainly enjoy a mint julep in any sort of glass you choose, but a classic julep cup will greatly enhance the experience. Not only are julep cups simply lovely to look at, they are also designed to keep your mint julep properly frosty for a very long time.

Crushed Ice is Key

Crushed ice is essential to a mint julep for two basic reasons, achieving just the right flavor balance and rapidly chilling the drink. Since this cocktail consists primarily of bourbon and sugar, fast melting crushed ice provides the proper dilution in practically no time at all. And despite this rapid melting, the high surface area of crushed ice helps to quickly and thoroughly chill the drink, providing that delightfully frosty drinking experience which has helped to make the classic mint julep so famous.

Top tip

While it may seem like a minor detail, do not skip the straw! A mint julep is meant to be sipped from the bottom up, and this is important for both practical and sensory reasons. Mechanically speaking, a straw is necessary for gracefully navigating all of that crushed ice as it melts down slowly into the drink. And aromatically speaking, when that straw is well positioned right next to the garnish, it also ensures that you get a fresh wave of mint with each and every sip.

Looking for more classic cocktails? Try these:

Pairing

Here are a few favorites that often end up on the table when I'm mixing mint juleps:

📖 Recipe

Print Pin

Mint Julep

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword classic, cocktail, easy, Kentucky Derby, quick, spring, summer

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings 1 drink

Equipment

julep cup
muddler

Ingredients

2½ ounces bourbon
½ ounce rich simple syrup (or honey simple syrup)
few sprigs fresh mint
lots of crushed ice

Instructions

Pluck several mint leaves from their stem and place them in the bottom of your julep cup. (Aim for around 6 to 8 large leaves...or more if they are small.)
Add the simple syrup, and then gently press the mint leaves into the syrup with a muddler.
Add the bourbon. Then fill the cup about half full with crushed ice.
Stir until the bourbon is well chilled and the outside of the cup becomes very frosty, at least 30 seconds.
Add more crushed ice until the cup is very full and the ice forms a little dome on top.
Garnish with a large mint sprig, pop in a straw, and enjoy!