Celebrate Mint Julep Day Every May 30
Mint juleps are the traditional drink for sipping on Kentucky Derby Day. But just because the Derby’s over doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy this frosty, minty drink. In fact, we have just the excuse to make one (or a pitcher-full) on May 30: Mint Julep Day.
We don’t know who started this Mint Julep Day, but legend has it that a wealthy South Carolinian, William Heyward Trapler, created a Mint Julep Day for June 1 at Oxford.
As the story goes, Mr. Trapler brought a supply of mint julep with him on a trip to England in 1845. He shared it with students at Oxford who loved the drink. So he set up an endowment to provide free drinks to students and their guests on June 1 every year.
A Sip of Mint Julep Trivia
The word “julep” generally refers to a sweet drink. Juleps are used to make medicine easier to take (although probably not the mint julep!).
Revelers at the Kentucky Derby down around 120,000 mint juleps each year.
Who came up with the drink isn’t clear. But Kentucky Senator Henry Clay brought it to Washington, D.C. in the early 1800s.
The drink became the “official” drink of the Kentucky Derby in the 1930s.
The world’s biggest mint julep glass was 6 feet tall and held 206 gallons. Even better, its giant straw held a pump to allow dispensing smaller amounts of the drink (presumably into more manageable glasses!). It was unveiled at Churchill Downs in 2008.
Although we traditionally use bourbon whiskey to make mint juleps, early versions may have used rye whiskey.
Nobody seems to be able to agree on exactly how to add the mint to a mint julep. Some prefer to use simple syrup infused with mint. Others believe you should muddle the mint leaves (bruise them slightly) with sugar (or sugar and water).
We’ve even seen recipes using both infused syrup and fresh mint leaves. And people who prefer the mint as a garnish only.
The amount of mint and the amount of sugar to use also seem to be open to debate.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this sweet and minty unofficial holiday.
How to Celebrate Mint Julep Day
Clearly the only appropriate way to celebrate is by sipping mint juleps all day.
Or at least having one to wind down after a long day and kick off the evening right.
Here are a few recipes to try:
- Mint Julep, from Epicurious. It uses minted simple syrup.
- Miss Lara’s Perfect Mint Julep. This one uses fresh, torn mint leaves
- Southern Mint Julep. You use a blender to mix up the mint leaves, sugar and water in this recipe.
- Frozen Mint Julep. A traditional mint julep, just turned into a slushy. Probably especially nice on a really hot day.
If you’re not a fan of the traditional mint julep, maybe you’d enjoy a mint julep-inspired drink:
For a mint-julep inspired non-alcoholic drink, try a mint julep iced tea. Or a Mock Mint Julep, which replaces the bourbon with lemon juice and ginger ale.
And, finally, these mint julep-inspired treats look intriguing:
Which looks best to you?
