Kentucky Derby Mint Julep (Printable)

A refreshing twist featuring fresh mint, lemon, and sparkling water for a cool and festive drink.

# 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. Remove from heat, add mint leaves, and steep for 5 minutes. Strain and let cool completely.
02 - Fill two julep cups or glasses with crushed ice.
03 - Pour 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of mint syrup over the ice in each glass.
04 - Top each glass with 1/2 cup of sparkling water or club soda. Stir gently to combine.
05 - Garnish generously with fresh mint sprigs. Serve immediately with a straw.

# Expert suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like pure refreshment without any alcohol hangover guilt.
  • Fresh mint transforms something simple into something that feels genuinely special and sophisticated.
  • Takes barely ten minutes and impresses absolutely everyone, which is honestly the dream.
02 -
  • Don't over-steep the mint or it gets bitter and tastes like medicine instead of refreshment—five minutes is the exact sweet spot I've learned through trial and plenty of mistakes.
  • Crushing your own ice in a bag with a meat mallet works perfectly if you don't have an ice crusher, and honestly it's kind of satisfying to whack things on purpose.
03 -
  • Make the mint syrup the night before if you're hosting, which takes the pressure off and lets you focus on being present instead of cooking.
  • Double or triple the syrup batch because once people taste this, they'll ask you to make it again and again all summer long.
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