Virgin Mint Julep

4.98 from 41 votes

Make a Virgin Mint Julep to celebrate the Kentucky Derby. Made with zero-proof spirits that taste like bourbon, this is a delicious non-alcoholic cocktail to enjoy all summer long.

a non-alcoholic mint julep in a silver cup with a bottle of zero-proof whiskey

Non-alcoholic cocktails don’t have to taste bad, be overly sweet or have next to no flavor — and that goes for the booziest cocktails too.

In this post I’ll show you how to make a Virgin Mint Julep with non-alcoholic spirits (plus a few alternatives). Even without alcohol, it’s still a delicious drink that has that same mint julep taste.

You can serve it at Kentucky Derby parties (fancy hats recommended) or at any spring or summer gathering.

What is a mint julep?

The mint julep is a sweet, boozy cocktail made with bourbon, mint and sugar. It’s a classic cocktail known for its silver glassware and has a reputation of being a refreshing drink.

Called a silver julep cup, the traditional glassware keeps these cocktails ice cold, making them the perfect drink for a hot summer day.

It’s been the official drink of the Kentucky Derby horse race since 1939. Nowadays, Churchill Downs sells more than 120,000 juleps at the event each year, according to the Kentucky Derby website.

a mint julep mocktail on a white background

Virgin Mint Julep recipe

Made with Kentucky bourbon, mint juleps are known for their boozy flavor. However, they don’t have to contain booze at all.

If you’d like to try making mocktail versions of your favorite drinks, you can them with zero-proof spirits. These are liquids flavored to taste like alcohol, but don’t actually contain any.

And truthfully, they’re quite delicious and you really can’t tell a big difference!

To make a mint julep without alcohol, we’ll use zero-proof bourbon, a mint-infused simple syrup and fresh mint.

Below I’ll share some of my favorite brands for bourbon alternatives, too.

Mint Julep Cups

The traditional mint julep is poured into a silver cup or pewter cup, though it’s not totally necessary. You can certainly use a rocks glass or whatever you have on hand!

These metal-plated cups keep the cocktail very, very cold, just like the copper mugs used for Moscow Mules do.

Each year the Kentucky Derby sells collectible glasses to commemorate the event. There are lots of these vintage derby cups on Etsy.

Here are a few of my favorite julep cups to add to your glassware collection:

a bottle of whiskey alternative with a jar of mint syrup

Ingredients

To make a mint julep mocktail, here’s what you’ll need:

Mint simple syrup

You can make mint syrup with sugar, water and fresh mint leaves (which you can grow in your herb garden or pick up at the grocery store). You will need one cup sugar, one cup water and a big bunch of fresh mint sprigs, and then you’ll heat it up in a small saucepan on the stove until the sugar dissolves.

I prefer to make a big batch to mix up lots of Derby cocktails.

Feel free to use plain sugar or plain simple syrup and muddle it with fresh mint if you don’t want to make a mint-infused version of the syrup. You can also add a drop of peppermint essential oil or peppermint extract to regular simple syrup.

Zero-proof alcohol

The mint julep cocktail recipe calls for bourbon whiskey, and luckily there are a number of non-alcoholic whiskey brands out there.

You can find zero-proof spirits at specialty shops and online. Here are a few of the best zero-proof whiskeys on the market (affiliate links):

  • Ritual whiskey alternative is my favorite. (I’m an affiliate but I would recommend it anyway!) This non-alcoholic spirit has flavors of vanilla, stone fruit and sugar.
  • Spiritless Kentucky 74 is a non-alcoholic bourbon that’s made in Kentucky and has notes of caramel, vanilla, and oak.
  • Monday Zero Alcohol Whiskey is handcrafted in small batches in a California craft distillery. Matured in new white oak, it has flavors of butterscotch, burnt sugar, caramel and roasted coffee.
  • Lyre’s American Malt Non-alcoholic Spirit is made in Australia and has scents of vanilla, sweet spice, caramel and accents of charred oak.

If you are thinking about getting into non-alcoholic cocktails, you may wish to pick up one of these bottles. You can use these whiskey alternatives in lots of non-alcoholic drink recipes, like the old-fashioned and the manhattan.

However, if you don’t have one of these on hand, my recommendation is to make it with strongly-brewed, unsweetened iced tea. Ginger ale or ginger beer would also be delicious.

Crushed Ice

The classic mint julep recipe is famous for its snow cone-like texture, so crushed ice is key. This is what makes the cocktail so well-loved on a hot day.

A few options here: Use the crushed ice from your fridge, grind it in a blender or use a lewis bag and mallet to smash the ice well. The finer the ice, the better!

a jar of mint simple syrup

How to make a non-alcoholic mint julep

There are a couple of ways to make a mint julep, and the non-alcoholic version can be prepared the same way.

The old-school way to make this traditional cocktail involves muddling fresh mint leaves, sugar and a splash of bourbon together in your cup, then topping with crushed ice and bourbon.

However, muddling can take a long time, especially if you are making more than a couple of drinks. That’s why I suggest making mint simple syrup for your cocktails.

Mint syrup is my favorite time-saving method because you can use one batch of syrup in lots of drinks. You can make a bunch of juleps and some minty mojitos too!

To make a mint julep:

  1. Pour the mint simple syrup into your julep cup.
  2. Pack the cup with crushed ice. The finer the better.
  3. Add the whiskey alternative. This helps to dilute the ice to keep this strong drink from being too strong.
  4. Pack some more ice onto the top of the drink.
  5. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
a virgin mint julep in a silver cup

Variations & substitutions

Make it low-alcohol and low-calorie. To make a low ABV version of the mint julep would be to use half alcoholic whiskey and half non-alcoholic.

Make it without zero-proof alcohol. If you don’t have the non-alcoholic spirits on hand, no problem! Try unsweet iced tea or ginger ale to make this cocktail. It will still be minty and delicious!

Have fun with herbs. This basil julep is made with basil simple syrup, but you could also use lemongrass, rosemary or thyme for delicious twists on this classic.

Add fruit. Try muddling fresh fruit with your mint for a flavor explosion. I love this strawberry julep and this blackberry julep so much!

Make it with honey. Make a mint-infused honey simple syrup. Simply add the mint after you turn off the heat and let the mixture infuse for 20-30 minutes.

a mint julep surrounded by ingredients and tools

More Derby Cocktails

While the mint julep is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, it’s certainly not the only one.

The Black-Eyed Susan is the drink for the Preakness Stakes (make it with Ritual gin alternative), and the Belmont Jewel is the drink for the Belmont Stakes (make it with the same whiskey alternative).

Of course, you can always enjoy any bourbon cocktail, such as a Kentucky mule.

Check out these Kentucky Derby cocktails for more ideas of what to make.

More mocktails

a non-alcoholic mint julep in a silver cup with a bottle of zero-proof whiskey

Virgin Mint Julep

Yield: 1 cocktail
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Non-alcoholic drinks don't have to taste bad! Use a zero-proof whiskey alternative to make a great-tasting virgin mint julep.
4.98 from 41 votes
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ingredients

  • ¾ ounce mint simple syrup
  • 2 ½ ounces zero-proof whiskey alternative
  • 1 cup crushed ice
  • 1 sprig mint for garnish

instructions

  • Add mint syrup to a julep cup or rocks glass.
  • Add half the whiskey alternative. Stir together.
  • Top with crushed ice. Pack it into the cup.
  • Add the rest of the whiskey alternative.
  • Top with more crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig.

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nutrition information

Yield: 1 cocktail

amount per serving:

Serving: 3.25ounces Calories: 59kcal Carbohydrates: 16g Protein: 0.04g Fat: 0.01g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g Sodium: 27mg Potassium: 45mg Fiber: 0.1g Sugar: 16g Vitamin A: 42IU Vitamin C: 0.3mg Calcium: 12mg Iron: 1mg
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Comments

  1. Kathleen says

    I love your drink recipes, regular and non-alcoholic! Going to make this for a Derby party I am going to, there are several of us who just can’t drink earlier in the day and this will be perfect! And that mint simple syrup! YUM!

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