This Classic Race Day Drink Has Gone Mainstream

There’s a certain Kentucky horse race customarily held on the first Saturday in May each year during which mint juleps are the traditional drink. The annual race is an excuse to don ridiculous hats, toast to horses darting by in a flash, and drink the classic mint-muddled cocktail. And although the race has been postponed until September this year, you shouldn’t wait to partake of America’s original mixed drink.

Traditionally served in a silver julep cups, our non-traditional take on the vintage southern cocktail deserves a modern receptacle in which to serve it—such our floral-inspired insulated stemless wine glass from Corkcicle. Properly made, juleps are sweet, icy, super-refreshing, and redolent of mint in all its spirit-boosting glory. Juleps can take many forms, but nearly all are delicious.

If you’ve ever made a traditional julep, you know it’s a process. The ice must be just right, and you can typically only make a few drinks at a time, carefully muddling the mint. Since we don’t want to wait until September to feel refreshed, we reached out to Eden Passante at Sugar and Charm. She concocted a frozen mint julep recipe that might bring some solace to race fans who find it difficult to wait.

As Eden says, “the homemade mint simple syrup gives it the perfect amount of sweetness and mixes well with a good quality Kentucky bourbon.” She prefers her version over a drink with crushed ice, as “it goes down smoother and is incredibly refreshing.”

Huzzah, they’re off! Enjoy.

Frozen Mint Julep

For the mint simple syrup:

• 1 cup (8 oz./250 g) organic cane sugar
• 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) water
• 1/2 cup (1/2 oz./15 g) fresh mint leaves

For the frozen mint julep:

• 4 1/2 oz. (140 ml) bourbon
• 3 fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
• 2 1/2 cups (10 oz./310 g) ice cubes

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water and mint leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and side aside to cool for 15 to 30 minutes. Strain the liquid and discard the mint leaves.

To make the frozen mint julep, in a Vitamix blender, combine the bourbon, 2 oz. (60 ml) of the mint simple syrup, mint leaves and ice and blend on medium-high speed until the mixture has a slush texture, about 1 minute.

Divide the drink among insulated cups, garnish with mint leaves and serve with a paper straw and cocktail napkin.