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Ah, if anything evokes thoughts of a sunny summer, it’s sitting outside sipping mint juleps out of silver cups under a cabana striped umbrella by the pool waiting for the barbeque to heat up, right?
Personally, I’ve always fantasized about sipping a mint julep out of a silver cup while wearing a tremendous sunhat, and watching The Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and fanning myself with my grandmother’s antique folding fan.
I know, I know. I am such a Northerner.
OK, maybe it’s more a bit of fantasy for most of us, but we can indulge in a classic Southern cocktail made with bourbon and mint that is super-refreshing, very delicious and easy to make.
Now first a little history: Even though it’s associated with the Kentucky Derby, more specifically Derby Day, the first Saturday in May, the mint julep first appeared on the cocktail map in 1803 in Virginia. Funny enough, many Kentuckians don’t usually drink them, except to celebrate Derby Day. They sure don’t know what they’re missing!
So whether it’s a legitimate “Southern classic” or not, the mint julep still deserves a spot in any good bartender’s repertoire, regardless of what side of the Mason-Dixon line he’s on.
I consulted, yet again, my All-Things-Southern-Go-To-Girl, Lara, on the subject of mint juleps. She says, “Kentuckyites will insist that it be served in a silver cup, but that’s a bunch of hooey in my book.” An old fashioned glass will do just fine. A traditional mint julep is made with a mint infused simple syrup added to bourbon and crushed ice and garnished with a mint leaf. Lara, on the other hand, prefers the muddled ice version (recipe below), that is similar in preparation method to a mojito.
Miss Lara also insists that the only kind of bourbon one ought to use in the Perfect Mint Julep is Maker’s Mark (Now, I’m not sure if she’s saying this because she also happens to be a Maker’s Mark Ambassador and has a barrel of bourbon with her name on it (literally!) sitting in Loretto, Kentucky). She also provided an interesting factoid about Maker’s Mark: apparently they only use women as quality control tasters because they have more sensitive palates than men!
Well, I’ll be!
Whether or not that tidbit is true, what is true is that Maker’s Mark is an extremely popular whiskey with a loyal following. Incidentally, the term ‘bourbon whiskey’ refers to American-made whiskey made from at least 51% corn and the rest from any combination of rye, barley or wheat. It is casked in charred oak barrels for at least two years, similar to Scotch whisky. While bourbon can be made anywhere in the U.S. and still be called bourbon, the vast majority of bourbon whiskey distilleries are in Kentucky. In fact, the term ‘bourbon’ comes from the Kentucky county along the Ohio river where the whiskey was first produced and became popular. The big distilleries to speak of are Maker’s, Jim Beam and Oak Creek, but there are many other boutique distilleries that also make high quality bourbons.
Good luck at the races!
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Mint Juleps Make the Mark
Ah, if anything evokes thoughts of a sunny summer, it’s sitting outside sipping mint juleps out of silver cups under a cabana striped umbrella by the pool waiting for the barbeque to heat up, right?
Personally, I’ve always fantasized about sipping a mint julep out of a silver cup while wearing a tremendous sunhat, and watching The Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and fanning myself with my grandmother’s antique folding fan.
I know, I know. I am such a Northerner.
OK, maybe it’s more a bit of fantasy for most of us, but we can indulge in a classic Southern cocktail made with bourbon and mint that is super-refreshing, very delicious and easy to make.
Now first a little history: Even though it’s associated with the Kentucky Derby, more specifically Derby Day, the first Saturday in May, the mint julep first appeared on the cocktail map in 1803 in Virginia. Funny enough, many Kentuckians don’t usually drink them, except to celebrate Derby Day. They sure don’t know what they’re missing!
So whether it’s a legitimate “Southern classic” or not, the mint julep still deserves a spot in any good bartender’s repertoire, regardless of what side of the Mason-Dixon line he’s on.
I consulted, yet again, my All-Things-Southern-Go-To-Girl, Lara, on the subject of mint juleps. She says, “Kentuckyites will insist that it be served in a silver cup, but that’s a bunch of hooey in my book.” An old fashioned glass will do just fine. A traditional mint julep is made with a mint infused simple syrup added to bourbon and crushed ice and garnished with a mint leaf. Lara, on the other hand, prefers the muddled ice version (recipe below), that is similar in preparation method to a mojito.
Miss Lara also insists that the only kind of bourbon one ought to use in the Perfect Mint Julep is Maker’s Mark (Now, I’m not sure if she’s saying this because she also happens to be a Maker’s Mark Ambassador and has a barrel of bourbon with her name on it (literally!) sitting in Loretto, Kentucky). She also provided an interesting factoid about Maker’s Mark: apparently they only use women as quality control tasters because they have more sensitive palates than men!
Well, I’ll be!
Whether or not that tidbit is true, what is true is that Maker’s Mark is an extremely popular whiskey with a loyal following. Incidentally, the term ‘bourbon whiskey’ refers to American-made whiskey made from at least 51% corn and the rest from any combination of rye, barley or wheat. It is casked in charred oak barrels for at least two years, similar to Scotch whisky. While bourbon can be made anywhere in the U.S. and still be called bourbon, the vast majority of bourbon whiskey distilleries are in Kentucky. In fact, the term ‘bourbon’ comes from the Kentucky county along the Ohio river where the whiskey was first produced and became popular. The big distilleries to speak of are Maker’s, Jim Beam and Oak Creek, but there are many other boutique distilleries that also make high quality bourbons.
Good luck at the races!
Serves/Makes: 1
- 1/2 cup crushed ice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon extra fine granulated sugar
- 3 mint leaves
- 2 1/2 ounces bourbon
Add ice to glass. Tear up mint leaves with your fingers. Tearing instead of cutting gives more surface area to the torn leaves, releasing more of the oils.
Put them in the glass with the ice and sugar and crush the leaves into the ice with the back of a spoon or handle of a wooden spoon or citrus reamer.
Add bourbon. Rub the rim of an old fashioned glass with a torn mint leaf. Garnish with mint. Cheers!
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/rebecca-michaels/311-mint-juleps/