Kentucky Derby Mint Julep (Printable View)

A refreshing mint julep with fresh mint and sparkling water for a cool, citrus twist.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Mint Syrup

01 - 1/4 cup water
02 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
03 - 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, plus extra for garnish

→ Mocktail

04 - 1 cup crushed ice
05 - 1 cup cold sparkling water or club soda
06 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
07 - 2 tablespoons mint syrup
08 - Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

# How To Make It:

01 - In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat, add mint leaves, and steep for 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and allow to cool to room temperature.
02 - Divide crushed ice evenly between two julep cups or serving glasses.
03 - Pour 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of cooled mint syrup over the crushed ice in each glass.
04 - Top each glass with 1/2 cup of cold sparkling water or club soda. Stir gently to combine all ingredients.
05 - Generously garnish each glass with fresh mint sprigs. Serve immediately with a drinking straw.

# Best Practices:

01 -
  • It's foolproof enough to whip up in under 10 minutes, yet tastes like you spent way more effort than you actually did.
  • The fresh mint syrup is a game-changer that transforms sparkling water from boring to genuinely crave-worthy.
  • You get to feel fancy and Southern without needing to stock a full liquor cabinet.
02 -
  • The mint syrup tastes too sweet on its own, but once diluted with sparkling water and lemon juice, it finds perfect balance—trust the recipe even if your first taste makes you second-guess.
  • Muddling mint directly in the glass (which the original instructions mention) works beautifully if you want extra intensity, but go gentle; aggressive muddling bruises the leaves and turns them bitter.
03 -
  • If your mint syrup seems too floral or too strong, you've steeped it too long—stick to exactly 5 minutes and you'll find the balance is perfect.
  • The secret that changed everything for me was making the syrup the night before and chilling it completely, which somehow made the final drink taste even more refined and intentional.
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