Juleps and smashes
Mint Julep
Made with classic simple syrup · American South
- julep cup
- crushed
- build
Mint Julep
- 2 oz60 ml bourbon
- ½ oz15 ml simple syrup
- 88 fresh mint leaves
- Press the mint leaves gently into the syrup in a julep cup or rocks glass.
- Pack the cup with finely crushed ice and pour the bourbon over it.
- Stir until the outside of the cup frosts, then heap more crushed ice on top.
- Slap a big bunch of mint between your palms and set it in the ice next to a short straw.
Garnish: large bouquet of fresh mint, slapped to release its aroma
The syrup
In this recipe
Classic Simple Syrup½ oz15 ml
Simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water, heated just until the sugar dissolves.
1/2 oz 1:1 simple syrup matches all three.
As printed: 1/2 tablespoon powdered sugar, dissolved and lightly crushed with 4 mint sprigs (Savoy). IBA: 1 tsp powdered sugar + 2 tsp water. Punch: 1/2-3/4 oz simple syrup muddled with a mint sprig.
Or use
Mint Simple Syrup½ oz15 ml
Mint simple syrup is 1:1 sugar syrup flavored with fresh spearmint.
Use in place of the simple syrup for a stronger mint base, but keep a few pressed leaves and the big mint bouquet. Much of a julep's mint comes from the aroma of the garnish, so the syrup only adds to it.
As printed: Plain sugar or simple syrup plus fresh mint.
Where it comes from
Juleps were a Virginia habit by the late 1700s, made at first with brandy. Bourbon became the standard spirit after the Civil War, and the Kentucky Derby made the julep its official drink in 1939.
Source: The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock (1930).
Checked against: The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), p. 208, scan on archive.org · Jerry Thomas, How to Mix Drinks (1862), scan on archive.org · Punch: Mint Julep · Imbibe: Classic Mint Julep (Chris McMillian) · IBA: Mint Julep
The Savoy Cocktail Book (Harry Craddock)
Gear for this drink
OXO SteeL Angled Measuring Jigger
Zulay Kitchen 2-in-1 Metal Lemon & Lime Squeezer
Best for Fresh citrus for sours and lemonade
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