Mint Julep cocktail recipe: learn to make a classic whiskey drink like a pro bartender

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The Mint Julep drink is the traditional cocktail of the Southern United States of America, a refreshing drink, simple yet delicious.

You can prepare the original Mint Julep recipe very easily: put a spoonful of sugar into a glass, add some mint leaves and a little bit of water and then pour your favorite liquor (brandy, rum or whisky) and finally, the ice. That’s all, nothing special, but the formula is so successful that it has been prepared for centuries.

The first information about the Mint Julep cocktail dates back to the end of 1700 in Louisiana, where it appears as medicine. It was common practice to prescribe the Julep for stomach problems, indigestion, and nausea.

The first Julep was made with rum and was considered a recreational drink for the afternoon, a kind of iced tea for tough southern gentlemen, but they were often drunk as a tonic in the early morning.

With time, the Mint Julep became more and more “American” and whiskey gradually replaced rum and brandy.

However, in the history of mixed drinks, you can find endless versions of Juleps, with the addition of multiple ingredients, such as ginger, strawberries and other small fruits and spirits, including apricot brandy.

Mint Julep cocktail ingredients

• 6 cl bourbon, whisky or brandy or rum
• 1 tablespoon of white sugar
• 10 mint leaves

How to make the Mint Julep cocktail

Put sugar, mint, and just enough whiskey to mix everything in a tumbler. Gently stir to extract the essential oils of mint, then add the rest of the whiskey and fill with crushed ice.

Decorate with a mint sprig and small fruits like strawberries, only if you have used brandy.

If the Julep is made with bourbon whiskey, only decorate with mint.

Mint Julep’s food pairings

We are dealing with a full-bodied, potent cocktail, so choose beefy dishes: it’s excellent with red meat, fish or Korean beef ribs. If there’s mint as an ingredient in the dish, even better. Recommended dishes: pork ribs with barbecue sauce, brisket, pork loin with Cajun rub, grilled chicken, Risotto alla Milanese, Roast Beef, Hamburger, Broccoli and ginger beef stir fry

Whisky cocktails you should try

Boulevardier, Old Fashioned, Irish Coffee, Sazerac, Godfather, Rusty Nail, Rob Roy, Old Pal, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Toronto, Penicillin.