Bourbon, sugar, mint and a mountain of crushed ice in a frosted cup, Kentucky's ceremonial race-day drink. Lexington pours them all spring, from Keeneland weekends to downtown bourbon bars.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 2 cities.
The julep began as a medicinal early-American whiskey drink and hardened into ritual in Kentucky during the 19th century, silver cups and all. Churchill Downs made it the official drink of the Derby in 1938, and Lexington drinks them every April and October when Keeneland runs. Local bartenders argue endlessly about crushed ice, mint bruising and whether the straw belongs beside the mint or nowhere at all.
Tip from the editors. Serve so the drinker's nose lands in the mint; the sprig does the aromatic work while the bourbon stays barely sweetened.
Featured by TableJourney as a signature dish of Lexington. See where to eat Mint Julep in Lexington or the Lexington signature dishes guide.
Lobby Bar at the Brown Hotel in Louisville pours mint juleps and bourbon flights inside the lobby where the Hot Brown sandwich was invented in 1926.
DrinkMint Julep, bourbon flights
FoodHot Brown and small plates
TipWalk-in. The bar serves the Hot Brown in the evening alongside the bourbon list.
Doc Crow's on West Main in Louisville pours from a 2,700-bourbon library on Whiskey Row, the city's deepest bourbon list paired with smoked brisket and a raw.
DrinkKentucky bourbon flights
FoodSmoked brisket, raw oysters
TipWalk-in for the bar. The Whiskey Wednesday flight runs four pours for $24.
Down One Bourbon Bar in the basement of the Galt House Hotel pours over 100 bourbons and Kentucky cocktails, the city's largest hotel-attached bourbon room.
DrinkOld Fashioned, bourbon flights
FoodSmoked brisket sliders, BBQ plates
TipWalk-in for the bar. The Old Fashioned class runs Saturday afternoons; book through the hotel.
8UP on West Chestnut in Louisville pours mint juleps and wood-fired pizzas from the Hilton Garden Inn rooftop until midnight, an all-glass late-night.
TryWood-fired pizza, late cocktails
TipBook the rooftop patio for Derby weekend. The cocktail program is the draw.
More cities are in research. Want mint julep covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.
