When John and I went to Louisville, it was obvious we would take a trip to Churchill Downs (duh). We walked in not exactly knowing what we were doing but one thing was for sure: I was getting myself a mint julep. When I watched the bartender make it, I was immediately scared: there was so much bourbon in it – YIKES. The bartender, who seemed as though she’d made hundreds of mint juleps, said to me, “Remember to sip, don’t gulp the julep.” What a smart women and a true statement. Today, I have a bit of a sippable version (kinda) by sharing an orange mint julep. Refreshing, right?
I don’t drink mint juleps often but flavored ones seem to take just a little bit of the bourbon edge off – if you need it. Even though a classic mint julep is delicious, I love the idea of ‘jazzing’ up a classic cocktail and elevating the flavors just a bit. That’s what’s happening with this orange mint julep.
This particular recipe is really easy and incorporates my love of simple syrups. Don’t worry, I’m not going to get on my soap box about making your own simple syrups – you already know how I feel about that.
Orange mint julep recipe
This isn’t a new recipe to Eat.Drink.Frolic. In fact, it first published in July of 2014. Nothing’s changed really except for the fact that I thought it was time to update the photos. I’m trying to get better about updating old posts with terrible photos (and there are a lot of them). I love updating old posts (1) to revisit and (2) to see how far I’ve grown.
The original photos from this orange mint julep post weren’t too terrible but they definitely needed a refresher. If you’re interested in seeing what the original photos looked like, I’ve included it in the post.
After you’re done gawking at my old orange mint julep photo, you’ll actually need to make the drink. It packs a punch but would be awesome to serve at a dinner party because of its level of ease. Sure, you’ll have to pull out a muddler but I promise it’s crazy easy. Let’s drink.
BEFORE (in 2014)
NOW
Ingredients
- Handful of fresh mint
- 3-4 orange wedges
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 2 oz bourbon
- Garnish (optional): orange slices, mint
Instructions
- In an old fashioned glass, muddle orange mint, oranges and simple syrup. The mixture will be fragrant. Add bourbon then stir to combine. Add ice on top and garnish with more mint and oranges, if desired.
Yay for your orange syrup!! I'll have to try this soon 🙂