Blueberry Mint Julep
The Kentucky Derby is right around the corner, so here at Wilderness Whiskey Women, we wanted to focus our attention on cocktails sure to be a hit at any derby party. The Kentucky Derby might be the fastest two minutes in sports, but our Blueberry Mint Julep is scrumptious and you’re guaranteed to reach the bottom of your glass before a winner is declared.
The inspiration for our Blueberry Mint Julep comes from the classic Mint Julep. Mint Juleps are the official cocktail of the Kentucky Derby and one of my favorite warm-weather cocktails. We decided to spice up this classic with the addition of blueberry by using a blender to create a blueberry puree. However, if you don’t have much time, add the blueberries to a shaker and muddle them with the other ingredients. Blueberry juice is also an acceptable substitution.
If you want to keep Kentucky Derby official, we recommend using Woodford Reserve Bourbon in the Blueberry Mint Julep. Woodford Reserve is the official whiskey of the Kentucky Derby. Each year, Woodford Reserve releases a commemorative bottle to celebrate the derby. Look for this year’s bottle in a liquor store near you. If you cannot locate the commemorative derby bottle, don’t fret. The whiskey inside is the same as their standard Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
If you don’t have a bottle of Woodford Reserve, this cocktail can be made with any whiskey. We also enjoyed it with High West Double Rye. Adding rye whiskey to the Blueberry Mint Julep gave the cocktail a nice, sweet, punchy spice flavor. If you haven’t checked out our High West Double Rye review, you can find it here.
One thing to note is that the blueberry puree will add a lot of pulp to your drink. I don’t mind pulp in my cocktail, but Alie prefers a more filtered drink unless it’s a hazy IPA. We recommend using a sieve to strain the beverage from the shaker to the glass to reduce the pulp. The Blueberry Mint Julep will surely be the first-place finisher at any derby party!
Blueberry Puree
Ingredients
- 20 each Blueberries
- 1/2 tsp Lime Juice
Instructions
- To make the puree, combine 15-20 blueberries and lime juice in a blender.
- Puree or liquefy the ingredients for 30-40 seconds.
Blueberry Mint Julep
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Bourbon
- 1 tbsp Blueberry Puree
- 10-15 each Mint Leaves
- 1/2 ounces Simple Syrup
- 1 spring Mint
Instructions
- In a shaker, add mint leaves and simple syrup. Muddle for 15-20 seconds to extract the oil from the mint.
- Add the blueberry puree and whiskey.
- Fill the shaker with ice and shake to blend.
- Pour shaker contents through a sieve into a julep glass and top with crushed ice.
- Add mint garnish and a straw.
Happy Exploring!
