contemporary · built
Mint Julep recipe
Bourbon and sugar over crushed ice with a mint bouquet.
A Mint Julep is 60 ml (56.4 g) Bourbon, 15 ml (16.7 g) Sugar Syrup and 1 ml (1 g) Mint, built and served in a rocks (old fashioned) glass. It pours to about 76 ml before ice, at roughly 32.2% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glassrocks (old fashioned) glass
- Methodbuilt
- Pour volume76 ml
- Strength (est.)32.2% ABV
- Time2 min
Mint Julep ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbon | 60 ml | 56.4 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Sugar Syrup | 15 ml | 16.7 g | 1.11 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Mint | 1 ml | — | 0.98 | Muddle a handful of mint |
How to make a Mint Julep
- Set your rocks (old fashioned) glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Fill the rocks (old fashioned) glass with fresh ice.
- Build Bourbon and Sugar Syrup straight into the glass, weighing each pour.
- Finish with muddle a handful of mint of Mint.
- Stir once, briefly, to combine.
- Garnish: Muddle a handful of mint.
Mint Julep: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Mint Julep?
Roughly 32.2% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Strong. This is a stirred, undiluted-style drink — one is a full measure.
What glass should a Mint Julep be served in?
A rocks (old fashioned) glass. One large, clear cube melts slower than four small ones and keeps the drink from watering out.
Can I make a Mint Julep without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
Why are some ingredients not weighed?
Dashes of bitters and rinses are too small to weigh reliably — a dash is roughly 0.8 ml, well inside the noise of any bar scale. Count them instead. Everything else in this Mint Julep is weighed.
If you like the Mint Julep
Old Fashioned
The original cocktail. Whiskey, sugar, bitters.
John Collins
The whiskey Collins — bourbon, lemon and sugar, topped with soda.
Toronto
Rye and Fernet — bitter, herbal, perfectly balanced.
Whisky Sour
Bourbon, lemon, sugar, egg white for foam. Dry shake first.
New York Sour
A whiskey sour crowned with a float of red wine.
Manhattan
Rye whiskey and sweet vermouth, stirred until very cold.