Gin Julep
Gin, mint and sugar over crushed ice. The Mint Julep's gin version — older than you would think, cleaner than bourbon, and the right julep for a London dry on a hot day.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Put the mint leaves and simple syrup in a julep cup or rocks glass and press gently with a muddler to release the oil, without tearing the leaves.
Add the gin and fill the cup with crushed ice.
Stir until the outside of the cup frosts, then mound more crushed ice on top.
Garnish with a big slapped sprig of mint next to a short straw and serve.
A thoughtful finish
- Press the mint, do not grind it; bruised mint goes bitter.
- Crushed ice and a metal cup are the julep; the frost is the proof.
- Old Tom gin is the 1862 flavour and needs less syrup.
Common mistakes
- Muddling the mint to shreds.
- Cubed ice, which never frosts the cup.
- Too much syrup; the gin should lead.
A few good questions.
What does a Gin Julep taste like?
Cold juniper and fresh mint with a little sugar — lighter and greener than a bourbon julep.
Is it a real julep?
Yes; Jerry Thomas printed it in 1862. Juleps were made with any spirit before bourbon took over.
Which gin?
Old Tom for the period flavour; a London dry for a drier drink.
How is it different from a Southside?
A Southside is shaken with lime and strained; a julep is built over crushed ice with no citrus.
Variations
- Mint Julep — Bourbon, mint, sugar and crushed ice.
- Southside — Gin, lime, sugar and mint, shaken.
- Gin Smash — Gin, lemon, sugar and mint over ice.
- Georgia Julep — Cognac and peach brandy julep.
Where it comes from
c. 1830s · United States
The julep was not always bourbon: the early-nineteenth-century American julep was made with brandy, peach brandy, rum or gin as often as whiskey, and Jerry Thomas’s 1862 guide gives a Gin Julep alongside the mint, brandy and whiskey ones — gin, sugar, mint and shaved ice, in a silver cup. Bourbon took the julep over after the Civil War and the Kentucky Derby, and the gin version went into hibernation until the 2000s revival, when Old Tom and London dry gins came back into bars that had crushed ice. It is a lighter, more herbal drink than the bourbon julep, the juniper meeting the mint, and Old Tom’s sweetness makes it the natural gin for it.
Sources
- Jerry Thomas, How to Mix Drinks, 1862 (book)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Gin Julep, 2010 (reference)
Strength. About 1.83 US standard drinks at an estimated 31.1% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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