Mint Julep: the cold, minty bourbon classic

A Mint Julep is a cold, mint-forward bourbon drink built from four ordinary ingredients: bourbon, homemade simple syrup, fresh mint, and ice.

For 1 serving:

The quantities and crushed-ice method follow the bourbon, syrup, mint, and ice structure in Difford's Guide and Malts AU. 12

Make the syrup with equal parts sugar and water, then cool it. 2 Gently muddle the mint leaves with the syrup in a julep cup or sturdy glass. Add the bourbon, pack the cup with crushed ice, and churn briefly with a spoon. Top with more crushed ice and finish with a mint sprig. Bruise the mint gently so the drink carries fresh mint aroma. A small rocks glass works when a julep cup is unavailable. The pantry version uses ordinary 1:1 syrup and omits the bitters in Difford's recipe.