Recipes

Mint Julep With Rum Float

May 5, 2016

For the perfect mint julep cocktail, smash your ice—but not your mint—then dress it up with a float of good dark rum. The rum is a nod to colonial days, when juleps were often rum-based, and with its barrel-aged character and slight sweetness, a great match for bourbon.

Featured in: The Right Way to Make a Mint Julep

For the perfect mint julep cocktail, smash your ice—but not your mint—and add a dash of dark rum.

Yield: makes 1 Cocktail

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

2 oz. bourbon
¹⁄₂ oz. añejo rum, such as Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva
¹⁄₂ oz. simple syrup
10 mint leaves, plus more for garnish

Instructions

In the bottom of a julep cup or cocktail glass, place mint and ¹⁄₄ oz simple syrup. Gently press down on mint leaves with a muddler, making sure not to mash the leaves into pulp. Add the remaining ¹⁄₄ oz simple syrup and bourbon. Fill the cup completely with ice, forming a mound on top. Pour the rum over the top of the ice. Garnish with a large mint bouquet and a straw next to the mint.