I Asked 5 Bartenders To Name the Best Bourbon for a Mint Julep—They All Said the Same Thing

The first time I ever tasted a mint julep, I was deep in bourbon country, going on a food and whiskey tour with my friends Jim and Shirley. We were hanging out at the hotel bar in Lexington, and the bartender poured us this amazing drink. He served it of course) in a Derby cup, with a mound of pebble ice, and it was made with Woodford Reserve that had been infused with fresh mint. It was sweet and minty yet oh-so-bourbon-y, and whenever I think about a julep, I go back to that very first one I ever tasted.

Woodford Reserve, I would later learn, has been sponsoring the Kentucky Derby mint julep since 1999. The julep has been the official cocktail of the Derby since 1939, but it wasn’t a beloved cocktail until the distillery revamped the cocktail in 1999.

Reserve must have done something right because the six bartenders I interviewed for this story all recommended the same bourbon that I enjoyed in my very first julep. It’s a solid, smooth Kentucky bourbon that is available nationwide, and at $30 or a little less per 750 ml bottle, it’s not too hard on your budget.

The 6 Bartenders I Interviewed

• Jason Van Auken: General manager and beverage director of Brandywine restaurant in Cedarburg, WI
• Nicole Haarklau: Corporate director of food and beverage for Coury Hospitality, based in Dallas, TX
• Dr. Nicola Nice: Sociologist, mixologist, and author of The Cocktail Parlor: How Women Brought the Cocktail Home and The Hostess Diaries blog, New York, NY
• Juyoung Kang: Head of beverage at Doberman Drawing Room, Las Vegas, NV
• Kyle Wallace: Bartender at Corridor Bar, Louisville, KY
• Cristian Illescas: Beverage director at Jungle Bird and Shy Shy, New York, NY

The Best Bourbon for Mint Juleps, According to Bartenders

First of all, the best whiskey for a mint julep is bourbon, period, Van Auken says, “and a really easy go-to bourbon for a mint julep is Woodford Reserve.” Its accessibility makes it a no-brainer. “It’s good on its own, it’s easy to find, and it’s perfect for the recipes because it stands out and hits well with the mint.”

Nice agrees. “For a mint julep, you don’t want the absolute top-shelf bourbon, but at the same time, you want a bourbon with enough going on that it will highlight its complexity while offsetting the bright notes of the mint,” she says.

Haarklau, whose hospitality company goes to the Woodford Reserve distillery in Kentucky to pick out barrels for their bars and restaurants, echoes that sentiment. He says Woodford Reserve is “a bolder whiskey, but it’s still very approachable on the palate. It really stands up in the drink.”

Kang and Illescas appreciate the bourbon’s julep-friendly flavor profile. “Woodford Reserve’s notes of citrus, caramel, toffee, baking spice, and chocolate complement the mint herb very well,” Kang says. Illescas agrees. “The complexity of the barrels that bring up the baking spices works wonders with the freshness of mint,” he says. “Think of a chocolate chip mint ice cream.”

How to Make a Mint Julep, According to the Pros

After the bourbon, the next component to consider is the mint. Traditionally, Kentucky bartenders use a variety of spearmint called Kentucky Colonel, but Kang says any type of mint will do. Her go-to is chocolate mint, though more important to her than variety is freshness. “Make sure the mint leaves are fresh and vibrant,”  she says.

Traditionally, the mint is muddled with sugar, then the bourbon is added. “I prefer muddled mint in a mint julep because it brings a fresher, more vibrant flavor to the cocktail,” Wallace says. “Muddling releases the essential oils from the mint leaves, giving the drink a bright, herbal aroma and a crisp, effervescent effect that pairs beautifully with the bourbon.”

Just don’t over-muddle, says Van Auken. “You want to get the essence of mint without destroying the mint and kicking up too much bitterness. When you get it right, it’s kind of fun and magical.”

If you’re not up for muddling, you can make mint syrup. But go gentle there, too. “The key to making a really good mint syrup is to not overcook the mint,” Nice says. “Take a cup of water, a cup of sugar, and a good fistful of fresh mint leaves. Bring that mixture very lightly to a boil, and let it simmer for 30 seconds to a minute, max. Don’t boil it more than that, otherwise you’re going to bruise the mint. Once it’s cool, strain it.”

How Bartenders Serve a Mint Julep

The drink is not a julep if it’s served over the wrong kind of ice, say the pros. “It’s absolutely critical to have the crushed ice or sonic, little pebbled ice,” Van Auken says. “The ice totally changes the cocktail, and it allows the aromatics of the mint to be released. It also helps with the dilution of the cocktail, and scientifically, it changes the experience of the cocktail.”

Mound the ice in the glass so that it rounds out over the top, Haarklau says. “Putting an obnoxious amount of mint should be the law with garnishing,” Wallace says. “And smack that mint before putting it in the glass.”

Finally, you should serve your julep in a silver julep cup, if possible. “Those julep cups are perfect,” Nice says. “A metal cup will keep your drink icy, icy cold, so it’s not going to dilute too quickly, and the coolness of the drink will come from both the cup and the mint.”

If you follow this expert advice, your mint julep is sure to be Derby-worthy.