HOW TO MAKE A PROPER MINT JULEP
Straight from the (former) Official Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Folks Themselves*
The Mint Julep has been the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby for nearly a century.
Each year, almost 120,000 Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs Racetrack. That's a feat that requires more than 10,000 bottles of Old Forester Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail, 1,000 pounds of freshly harvested mint and 60,000 pounds of ice.
The Old Forester Mint Julep Recipe
- 2 cups of sugar
- 2 cups of water
- Sprigs of fresh mint
- Crushed ice
- Old Forester Straight Bourbon Whisky
- Silver Julep Cups
Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight.
Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Old Forester Kentucky Whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
*Art and artwork originally published here. Woodford Reserve is the new official Kentucky Derby Bourbon sponsor.