Gin Julep Recipe
Written by Take it easy with our straightforward Gin Julep recipe! Combining Gin, sugar, Angostura bitters, fresh mint leaves and a refreshing amount of crushed ice, it's your go-to cocktail for spring.
Prep time: 1 minute
Mixing time: 1 minute
Servings: 1
Calories: 170
Ingredients
- 2 oz London Dry Gin
- 6-8 fresh mint leaves
- 1 sugar cube
- 1 dash soda water
- 5 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
- Crushed ice
- Mint sprig & icing sugar - for garnish, optional
Equipment
- Julep Cup or Old Fashioned Glass
- Measuring Jigger
- Muddler
- Bar spoon or long stirrer
- Straw
Instructions
- Add Sugar Cube: Place 1 sugar cube in your Julep cup or Old Fashioned glass.
- Add Angostura bitters: Pour 5 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters over the sugar cube.
- Add Soda Water: Measure and pour 1 dash soda water on the sugar cube as well.
- Muddle: Muddle the sugar cube to reduce it to powder and make sure it will fully dissolve later on.
- Add Mint: Place 6-8 fresh mint leaves in one hand and gently smack it with the other, to release its aromas. Add the mint to the Julep cup or Old Fashioned glass.
- Add Gin: Measure and pour 2 oz London Dry Gin of your choice into the glass.
- Add Ice: Fill the glass three-quarters full with crushed ice.
- Stir: Using a bar spoon or long stirrer, churn well to combine the ingredients, until the cup is frosty.
- Add Ice: Add a straw and top up with more crushed ice.
- Garnish: Place a mint sprig into the glass and sprinkle some icing sugar on top for garnish. Serve immediately.
Notes
Substitutes:
- Gin: Vodka can be a good substitute if you don't have Gin. It will give you a less botanical flavor but works well with the mint and simple syrup. For a different twist, you can also try using Genever instead of gin.
- Sugar Cube: If you don’t have sugar cubes, you can use simple syrup instead (approx. ¾ oz/22 ml, feel free to adjust to taste).
- Angostura Bitters: If you don’t have Angostura bitters on hand or if you want to experiment with a different twist, you can use other types of old-fashioned aromatic bitters. For a result that’s close to the original cocktail, try to choose bitters that are heavy on spices (such as clove and cinnamon) and low on sugar. You can also use Peychaud bitters: these red bitters, known for their botanical and aniseed flavor, pair particularly well with gin.
- Mint Leaves: If fresh mint isn't available, you can use a few drops of mint extract as a last resort. However, I highly recommend using fresh mint for the best flavor.
Making it Non-Alcoholic:
- Gin Substitute: Use a non-alcoholic gin substitute; these are available and reasonably mimic Gin's botanicals.
- Angostura Bitters: You can add a drop of cinnamon and/or clove essence to your drink or substitute the sugar with cinnamon syrup to mimic the spicy kick of the bitters. Also, note that a few dashes of bitter in an otherwise alcohol-free drink won’t raise the overall ABV of the drink. The drink will indeed chemically contain a drop of alcohol, but won’t make you intoxicated at all. Depending on your reason for not drinking alcohol and your degree of tolerance on the topic, you can choose to omit the bitters or to include them in your preparation.
- Proceed As Usual: Use these non-alcoholic substitutes instead of the regular Gin and bitters, follow the original steps, and enjoy a non-alcoholic version.