How to Make a Mint Julep, According to the Experts

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Here'southward our pace-by-step guide on how to brand a mint julep, along with skillful insight from bartenders and one Southern beauty queen.

You tin can't have the Kentucky Derby without mint juleps, of course! This classic bourbon cocktail is the very courage of Southern entertaining. (Southern-style sweet tea is its refreshing runner-up.)

"When I think of a mint julep, I recall of the Derby, but also a day on the porch with company," says Lynn Maggio, who was Mrs. Alabama in 2012. "I'd say a mint julep is a refreshing, social comfort and the very scent of bound and summer in the Due south." But thank you to their utter deliciousness, mint juleps are now being sipped across the United States.

For more on how to make a mint julep, check out our classic mint julep recipe. Paired with the step-by-pace guide below, you lot'll be impressing guests in no time!

Here's everything you lot need to know about making an authentic Kentucky bourbon cake.

Buy the right bourbon

You'll desire to option up bourbon whiskey, the American-pedigreed whiskey whose name evokes both Bourbon Street and Kentucky's Bourbon County. Some of our get-to bourbons are Woodford Reserve, a presenting partner of the Kentucky Derby, and Maker'due south Marking with its iconic red wax seal. If you didn't already know, this is the difference between whiskey and bourbon.

Starting time with crushed ice

Juleps are meant to exist made with and sipped from crushed water ice—never cubed—our experts unanimously concord! "Otherwise, it'southward just whiskey and mint in a glass," according to Maurizio Chiovaro, a hospitality pro in New York.

Wake up the mint

"It'south not just about the potable," says Maggio, of Mrs. Alabama fame. "The presentation is important in the South as well." When you lot garnish the drink with fresh mint, "give the sprig a good slap," adds Dustin Haarstad, the possessor of Blackness Cat, a popular whiskey bar in Seattle. This might sound strange, but he says a gentle smack warms up the mint to bring out essential oils and promote minty aromatics with every sip.

How to Make a Mint Julep

Ingredients

For the mint syrup:

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• ii cups loosely packed chopped fresh mint

For each serving:

• 1/two to 3/four cup crushed ice
• 1/2 to 1 ounce bourbon
• Mint sprig

Tools

• Julep Cup: To make a proper mint julep, yous definitely demand a julep cup! While these cups are traditionally made of pewter, these stainless steel cups will keep your cocktail icy cold just equally well.
• Bar Spoon: These long bar spoons will make digging through crushed ice to stir your cocktail much easier.
• Ice Saucepan: Keep all that crushed water ice from melting with a sturdy water ice saucepan. The included water ice scoop also works a lot better than water ice tongs.
• Reusable Straws: Ditch plastic straws and opt for these slick stainless steel straws instead.

Directions

Step one: Make your uncomplicated syrup

Our archetype mint julep levels up by calling for a homemade mint-infused unproblematic syrup. To brand it, combine sugar, h2o and chopped mint in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium estrus, and then cook until saccharide is dissolved, stirring at present and then. Remove from the oestrus and cool to room temp before moving on to the next step.

Step 2: Strain the syrup

Line a mesh strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Strain the mint syrup and discard the mint. Comprehend and refrigerate the syrup for at least 2 hours or until chilled.

Step 3: Mix your juleps

For each serving, pour 2 ounces of the mint syrup and your bourbon into a julep cup. Make full the cup halfway with crushed water ice and stir the cocktail until the outside of the cup has frosted. Make full the rest of the glass with crushed water ice, and so garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and straw.And they're off!

Editor's Tip: Don't exist agape to adapt this julep recipe to your tastes. If the season of the base recipe is likewise sweetness for you, reduce the mint syrup to 1/2 or 1/4 ounce. If you adopt a more spirit-frontwards cocktail, up the bourbon to 2 ounces. You tin even make this julep a mocktail by replacing the bourbon with unsweetened iced tea.

The Derby is in early May, so you'll want to take your mint julep skills polished and ready by then. Next, check out how to have the perfect Kentucky Derby watch party.

Don't forget these Kentucky Derby appetizers!

Photo: Taste of Home

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Pickled Peaches

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Shrimp Appetizer Spread

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Source: https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-make-a-mint-julep/

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