Mint julep facts for kids
| IBA official cocktail | |
|---|---|
| Type | Cocktail |
| Primary alcohol by volume | |
| Served | On the rocks; poured over ice |
| Standard garnish | Mint sprig |
| Standard drinkware | Silver cup or highball glass |
| IBA specified ingredients  |
|
| Preparation | In a highball glass gently muddle the mint, sugar and water. Fill the glass with cracked ice, add Bourbon and stir well until the glass is well frosted. Garnish with a mint sprig. |
| Mint julep recipe at International Bartenders Association |
|
The Mint Julep is a special mixed drink. It's mostly made with bourbon, sugar, water, crushed ice, and fresh mint. This drink is very famous in the American South. It's especially well-known for its link to the Kentucky Derby horse race.
Contents
How to Make a Mint Julep
A Mint Julep usually has four main things in it: mint leaves, bourbon, simple syrup (a sugar water mix), and crushed ice. In Kentucky and other Southern states, people often use spearmint.
There are many ways to make a Mint Julep. Some people gently crush the mint leaves with sugar and water. This helps release the mint's flavor. Then, they add crushed ice and bourbon. They stir it until the glass gets frosty on the outside.
Special Cups for Juleps
Mint Juleps were traditionally served in fancy silver or pewter cups. People would hold these cups only by the top and bottom edges. This helped keep the cup cold and frosty. It also stopped heat from their hands from melting the ice too fast. Today, you might see them in tall glasses like a highball glass with a straw.
The History of the Mint Julep
The word "julep" means a sweet drink. It was often used to help people take medicine. The word comes from a Persian word, Golâb, which means rosewater. Early English juleps were mostly medicines. They had a little alcohol and sometimes camphor.
The Mint Julep we know today started in the southern United States. This was probably in the 1700s. One of the first times it was mentioned was in 1770. A play described it as a drink that doctors didn't like, but some people loved. In 1784, a medical book talked about using a mint julep as a medicine.
In 1793, someone described a mint julep as "a tumbler of rum and water, well sweetened, with a slip of mint in it." An English book from 1803 said Virginians drank it in the morning. It was called "a dram of spirituous liquor that has mint steeped in it."
Iced Juleps and Famous Fans
By the 1780s, taverns in places like Richmond started having ice-houses. This might have been for iced drinks like the julep. The first mention of an "Iced Julep" was in 1807 in Norfolk.
A U.S. Senator from Kentucky, Henry Clay, helped make the drink famous in Washington, D.C.. He introduced it at the Willard Hotel.
In the 1800s, people enjoyed juleps made with different spirits. Some were made with gin, not just bourbon. By 1820, the julep was a big part of Virginia's identity. Jasper Crouch, a Free Person of Color from Richmond, was known as a master at making them.
In the 1830s, a version called "hailstone" julep was popular in New York. It had small lumps of ice that looked like hailstones.
A British captain, Frederick Marryat, wrote about the "real mint julep" in 1840. He said it had mint, sugar, and a mix of peach and regular brandy. He also mentioned rubbing the glass with pine-apple for extra flavor.
The 1862 Bar-Tenders Guide by Jerry Thomas had five recipes for the mint julep. You could make it with Cognac, brandy, gin, whiskey, or even sparkling wine. He called it a "peculiarly American beverage."
Today, bourbon-based juleps are much more popular than gin-based ones.
The Mint Julep and the Kentucky Derby
The Mint Julep has been the official drink of the Kentucky Derby since 1938. The Kentucky Derby is a very famous horse race. Every year, about 120,000 juleps are served at Churchill Downs during the Derby weekend. They often come in special collectible glasses.
For many years, a company called Brown-Forman Corporation has had a deal with Churchill Downs. Their "Early Times Mint Julep Cocktail" was the official drink. Early Times is a whiskey, but since 2015, Old Forester (also from Brown-Forman) has been the official drink. Old Forester is a true bourbon.
Since 2006, Churchill Downs has also sold very special, expensive Mint Juleps for $1000 each. These fancy juleps come in gold-plated cups with silver straws. They are made with special bourbon, mint from Ireland, spring water ice cubes from the Bavarian Alps, and sugar from Australia. The money from these expensive juleps helps retired race horses.
In 2008, Churchill Downs showed off the world's largest Mint Julep glass. It was about 6-foot (1.8 m) tall! It could hold 206 US gallons (780 L; 172 imp gal) of Mint Julep. This giant glass helped serve the drinks at the Derby.
See also
In Spanish: Julepe de menta para niños
