How to Make a Mint Julep Pitcher for Your Derby Day Party

For when you have to serve a crowd.

The Mint Julep, which originally began as Cognac cocktail in the very earliest days of the United States, is the official drink of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. But it may as well be the official summer drink of the American South, too. Designed to be sipped slowly, allowing the mountain of crushed ice to melt into the drink and temper the stiff pour of whiskey, the Julep completes the scene on porches stretching from Virginia to the Gulf Coast.

Since it first came on the scene in the 1800s, it has provided respite from hot summer days, greased the wheels of high society meetings and been consumed by the literal truck load every Derby day. But between muddling the mint and crushing the ice, individual Juleps are reasonably labor intensive. If you need to serve a large group of people, there’s nothing wrong with looking for a shortcut.

That’s where this Mint Julep Pitcher comes in. There’s no need to muddle thanks to a mint-infused simple syrup and, while you could crush enough ice for everyone, you can also treat this more like a punch and use ordinary cubes instead. Whether you’re throwing a Kentucky Derby party or you’re just having some friends over on a sunny summer afternoon, this pitcher is a guaranteed winner.

Serves 8

Mix it up: If you’re looking for other ways to please a crowd, try scaling up some other classic cocktails, like the Moscow Mule, Mojito or Margarita.

Mint Julep Pitcher

FLAVOR PROFILE
Sweet
STRENGTH
DIFFICULTY
easy

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups Bourbon
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1 Cup Mint Leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

Step one

Bring water to a boil and add sugar, stirring until it dissolves.

Step two

Remove from heat, add half the mint and cool in the fridge for an hour.

Step three

Strain the mint syrup into a pitcher, add the bourbon and stir.

Step four

Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Step five

About 10 minutes before you’re ready to serve, take the pitcher out, add ice and the remaining mint.

Contributed by Supercall