Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Make Carol Loving’s Sweet Mint Juleps
Every year on the first weekend in May, the weekend of The Kentucky Derby, I make my Nani’s sweet mint juleps. My Nani, my maternal grandmother sweetly named Carol Loving, was a great cook as well as one of my best friends. She passed away in 2006 and making this drink every year while watching the Derby keeps her memory alive.
Carol’s Sweet Mint Julep is unique because it has fresh lemon juice
My Nani was not a big drinker, and neither are we, but this one drink was her once a year exception. I’ve never written up the recipe for whatever reason, but after my neighbor suggested I write it up, I decided it was a great idea. Read on to learn how to make Carol Loving’s Sweet Mint Juleps.
I actually rooted lots of mint from her home before we sold it. She got it from her mom’s yard, and I wanted to keep the tradition going by always having some of her mint to use for Derby season recipes. I’ve even brought it to Florida and since we can’t grow it in the sandy soil here, I keep several planters going with it. Peppermint is a very hardy plant as even Hurricane Ian and all the wind and flood waters didn’t kill it, thank goodness!
My Nani saved her favorite Derby glasses and I have them now
There are tons of recipes for mint juleps, but Carol’s were a little different. Hers actually tasted good! Most mint juleps are terrible. At Churchill Downs, a famous racetrack that hosts the Kentucky Derby, you can buy mint juleps, but during race season they are made very fast, which doesn’t do them justice.
My Nani, Carol’s, mint julep is truly THE BEST mint julep I’ve ever had. She knew they were delicious too. At one point, even wrote to the local paper, The Courier Journal, and asked one of the writers to come to her home for her sweet mint juleps after they published a recipe that she knew wasn’t going to be as good as hers. They didn’t show up, but I think they did call her and I remember her being tickled about it.
We like FourRoses bourbon for our Mint Juleps
I updated her recipe only a little bit to help make them even better. In my Nani’s mint julep version, you muddle the mint (you must use peppermint, not spearmint), but there was no strainer involved. So, you would often get little pieces of mint stuck in your teeth after devouring one of her mint juleps. This wasn’t terrible, but I figured out a way to make them easier to make and the mint won’t get stuck in your teeth.
The mint simple syrup can be made up to a week before you need it
Hers also has LEMON, which most don’t. Lemon definitely adds a bit of new flavor that makes it almost taste like a minty tea. Because of this, you can drink too many, so drink responsibly! One will go down quickly because it’s smooth, refreshing and sweet. Carol’s is close to the official Kentucky Derby Old Forester Mint Julep recipe, but hers comes together more quickly and includes LEMON.
This recipe is also great because it can quickly serve a crowd. Any Derby party I attended as an adult with friends, I was in charge of making the mint juleps (it’s a traditional and signature drink served at The Kentucky Derby) and when you have to muddle a lot of mint, it takes a long time to make them. But they were in demand, so I worked quick to muddle, strain and serve, but with my mint simple syrup recipe, you can make it in advance and serve up drinks very quickly.
This is a very refreshing mint julep recipe
This mint julep recipe is also cost effective. In 2022, Churchill Downs (on the day of the Kentucky Derby) offered a $2,500.00 mint julep, served in a gold and silver julep cup. Now, it was for charity, so that was okay in my opinion. Our mint juleps cost much less, and we do donate to Carol’s favorite animal charities, so that’s okay too. We serve our mint juleps in her gorgeous vintage Derby glasses, but they are often served in chilled julep cups, which are beautiful too.
This mint is an offspring of my great-grandma’s!
Now for the recipe! To make this delicious and refreshing and sweet mint julep, you’ll need the following items:
Tools: Large glass bowl (or any large mixing bowl), wooden spoon and small bowl or a mortar and pestle, fine mesh strainer set , medium sauce pan, glasses (we used my Nani’s vintage Derby glasses for the mint juleps but used these beautiful turquoise glasses from Walmart for our sweet tea), measuring cup and tablespoon/teaspoon set (we are loving the Thyme and Table line at Walmart!), I store mine in an air tight swing top glass bottle, shot glass, 10 oz. drinking glass
Time: 15-30 minutes + cooling time
Servings: 15-20 or more (depending on how sweet you like your drinks)
Watch my one minute video showing how to make the mint simple syrup below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Ingredients for the Mint Simple Syrup
10 sprigs of fresh peppermint (NOT spearmint as we’ve tested it and it does not work flavor-wise…in our opinion spearmint makes it taste like toothpaste!)
2 cups sugar (I used cane sugar)
2 cups filtered water
How to Make the Mint Simple Syrup:
Rinse sprigs of mint and muddle them slightly to release the juices either using a mortar and pestle or using a wooden spoon and a bowl
Place sugar in a medium pot
Place water into the pot with the sugar
Place the pot onto the stovetop and bring to a boil on high heat (put the lid on to speed up the boil process)
Once boiling, reduce heat to low and place the muddled mint into the sugar water and stir.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes. It will slightly thicken and reduce in amount as it simmers.
Remove from stovetop and place a fine mesh strainer over a large mixing bowl and pour the mint simple syrup over the strainer into the bowl (which allows the mint to stay in the strainer and not in the syrup!)
Allow the simple syrup to cool for about 30 minutes. I then decanted mine into a bottle that sealed so it could be kept easily in the fridge (it will stay fresh for about a week if in a sealed container).
Add about 1 tablespoon of the mint simple syrup (add more or less depending on how sweet you like your drinks) to hot tea, iced tea or continue on to learn how to make Carol’s Sweet Mint Juleps!
How to Make Carol Loving’s Sweet Mint Juleps
Here’s a 1 minute video tutorial for making the mint juleps or view it on my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
How to Make Carol’s Sweet Mint Juleps
Ingredients:
1 shot (about 1.5 oz.) of bourbon (we love Four Roses but my Nani loved Maker’s Mark and whichever bourbon you use will alter the flavor a bit, so use what you like)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1-2 tbs mint simple syrup
Small amount of cold filtered water
How to:
Add ice to the glass, add the mint simple syrup, the bourbon, fresh lemon juice, and top it off with cold filtered water.
Add a sprig of mint for garnish. You can also add everything to a shaker with the ice if you don’t want ice in your drink.
Drink and enjoy!
Tips and tricks:
Omit the bourbon and add unsweetened ice tea instead for a non-alcoholic minty sweet tea!
The mint simple syrup will keep in a fridge for about a week if you keep it in a sealed container. You could try freezing it in ice cube trays too!
You can make this simple syrup recipe and omit the mint if you just need plain simple syrup. You can also add other flavors to it using lemon peel, orange peel or other herbs.
You can find fresh peppermint at most grocery stores in the refrigerated herb section. I have not tested using dried peppermint, but it may be able to work.
Did you try this recipe or create your own version? Let us know in the comments below!
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.