Rum Julep Recipe
Written by Enjoy spring with this straightforward Rum Julep recipe! It combines dark rum, cane sugar, Angostura Bitters, and fresh mint for a revitalizing cocktail.
Prep time: 1 minute
Mixing time: 2 minutes
Servings: 1
Calories: 174
Ingredients
- 2 oz Dark Rum
- 6-8 fresh mint leaves
- 1 cane sugar cube
- 5 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
- 1 dash soda water
- Crushed ice
- Mint sprig & icing sugar - for garnish, optional
Equipment
- Julep Cup or Old Fashioned Glass
- Muddler
- Measuring Jigger
- Bar spoon or long stirrer
- Straw
Instructions
- Add Sugar Cube: Place 1 cane sugar cube in your Julep cup or Old Fashioned glass.
- Add Bitters: Pour 5 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters over the sugar cube.
- Add Soda Water: Measure and add 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 Dark Rum: Measure and pour 2 oz Dark Rum 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.
- 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:
- Dark Rum: If you don't have dark rum, you can use bourbon for a classic Mint Julep. You could also try spiced rum for a different flavor profile.
- 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.
- Mint Leaves: If fresh mint isn't available, you can try using a few drops of mint extract. Be careful, though; it's potent stuff!
Making it Non-Alcoholic:
- Dark Rum Substitute: Use a non-alcoholic dark rum substitute; these are available in the market and do a good job mimicking the flavor of dark rum. If you’re feeling crafty, you can also make your own dark rum substitute by infusing together rooibos tea and a bunch of spices of your liking (vanilla, cinnamon, clove, allspice and banana are always a good way to start). Mix all the ingredients together, add hot water, cover and let it infuse for at least 3h (the stronger the better, so if you have time let it infuse overnight. In that case, you can either let it rest in the fridge once the liquid has cooled down). Give it a taste, adjust the spice level if necessary, and strain it once you’re happy with the result. Stored properly (in an airtight container in the fridge), this “tea-rum” can be kept for up to a week.
- 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 include them in your preparation.
- Proceed As Usual: Use these non-alcoholic substitutes instead of the regular rum & bitters, follow the original steps, and enjoy a non-alcoholic version.