There is nothing better than a well-made mint julep on a hot day. Fresh mint leaves, mulled with powdered sugar in a chilled mint julep cup and bourbon and crushed ice. But they are pretty labor intensive to make. What do you do if you are having a Derby party with 50 people?  You make a fabulous mint simple syrup!

I wash a large bunch of fresh mint and tie it at the stems with twine. I make my simple syrup in a pot on the stove and when the sugar is dissolved, I turn it off, remove it from the stove and dunk the bunch of mint head first into the hot simple syrup and let it steep for 30-45 minutes. When I remove the wilted bunch of mint, I squeeze it out and you have the most amazing mint simple syrup to make mint juleps. 1-2 teaspoons of mint simple syrup to 2 oz of your favorite bourbon and splash of water in chilled julep cups over crushed ice.

Happy Derby Day! Or any summer day you need a refreshing cold cocktail!

XX 

Suzanne