Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Kentucky bourbon poured over crushed ice with sugar and bruised mint, served in a frosted silver cup. The official Kentucky Derby drink since 1939.
The Mint Julep was already a Kentucky genteel-society drink when Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark founded the Kentucky Derby in 1875; the story goes that Churchill Downs planted mint outside the clubhouse for the first Derby's juleps. The drink became the Derby's official cocktail in 1939, and Churchill Downs began ordering the signature souvenir julep cups in 1937. Today more than 125,000 Mint Juleps are served at the racetrack over the two-day Oaks and Derby weekend, requiring 10,000 bottles of Kentucky bourbon, 2,250 pounds of mint and 475,000 pounds of ice.
4 editor picks for Mint Julep in Louisville, ranked by editorial score. All Louisville signature dishes · Mint Julep across every city.
Also in: Lexington.
Doc Crow's on West Main in Louisville smokes brisket and shucks oysters on Whiskey Row, pairing both with a bourbon library of more than 2,700 expressions.
OrderSmoked brisket with two sides, plus a flight of three Kentucky bourbons.
TipBook on OpenTable for dinner. Lunch runs walk-in until 14:00.
8UP on West Chestnut in Louisville pours wine, mint juleps and bourbon flights from the Hilton Garden Inn rooftop, an all-glass downtown drinkery.
TipBook the rooftop patio on OpenTable for Derby weekend. The cocktail program is the draw.
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.
TipWalk-in. The bar serves the Hot Brown in the evening alongside the bourbon list.
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.
TipWalk-in for the bar. The Old Fashioned class runs Saturday afternoons; book through the hotel.
Mint Julep makes more sense with someone from Louisville explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Get to know the story of Louisville one bite at a time on a guided food and history tour of the city's trendy NuLu District. Sample local favorites like bourbon balls ...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Taste paired bites, bourbon, and cocktails. Learn the unfiltered story of bourbon while exploring the vibrant NuLu district of Louisville.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Savor the flavors of Louisville on a guided food and drink walking tour. Learn about the city's history and legends from an expert guide as you explore historic Whiske...
