What kind of mint for juleps?

Question

I have made them before, using mint from the produce section at the store which was just called "mint". Now I have a friend who has some fresh mint growing in her backyard and she has offered to give me some to make my juleps. But then she said "do you need spearmint or peppermint" ? And I realized I don't know ! When you buy mint in the store, what kind of mint is it? I'm thinking the mint juleps tasted like spearmint, but I don't want to chance it. Anybody know for sure? Preferably southerners so I know it's authentic! (ha)

Answer 1

Use spearmint
Kentucky Derby Mint Juleps
Fresh mint, enough to yield about 2 cups after removing leaves and chopping, plus enough extra sprigs to put in each drink
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Crushed ice
Bourbon

Pre-Derby Day Steps (Making the Mint-Sugar Syrup):

Remove the leaves from the mint and chop them; you do not need to finely chop, just enough to break the leaves into pieces
Boil the mint, water, and sugar; stir until the sugar dissolves (about 5-10 minutes)
Strain the mixture to remove the mint leaves
Put the mixture in the fridge overnight

Derby Day Steps (Making the Mint Julep):
Fill a glass with crushed ice
Add the mint-sugar syrup and bourbon, using about 2-3 parts bourbon to 1 part syrup, depending on your needs

Garnish with a mint sprig and serve

Answer 2

Spearmint is what's usually in recipes, but there are others that will work. You should know there are 1000+ standard varieties of mint out there.

If you want to get technical, the type of spearmint you want is Kentucky Colonel spearmint (mentha spicata cv.).

But really, any kind of mint will work. If you have a choice, go with spearmint (which is the more standard mint).

Answer 3

Typically it's spearmint. A kitchen garden mint can be a couple of varieties. Don't worry, the flavors are very similar. The julep can be improved by combining different types to give some flavor complexity to the drink.

Enjoy.

Answer 4

Spearmint is used to make mint juleps. Spearmint has big leaves. Peppermint has small leaves. So if the leaves of the mint that your friend has are big, use it because it's spearmint.