This flavor is everything I want to keep forever.
Next weekend you can enjoy the most exciting 120 seconds of May with one of these bourbon cocktails in hand. I can’t wait.
Eddie, of course, will pass on the bourbon — too many bad college nights have left him saying no thanks.
Last year I made fresh watermelon mint juleps before the Derby, but on race day I mixed a version of the Fresh Exchange’s peach mint juleps and haven’t stopped thinking about them. Their recipe used American Spoon peach preserves — a family favorite for decades — and it was a huge hit.
I wanted to use frozen peach slices — not as a puree or an overpowering flavor, but as part of the “ice” so the peach notes would slowly melt into the drink. The result? Perfection.
I also loved having the peach slices to nibble on while sipping the cocktail.
Frozen peaches make sense now because we’re not close to good fresh peach season. The grocery store fruit is often rock hard and rarely ripens properly here, so frozen peaches are the solution — I prefer them to canned.
And the vanilla? I love vanilla in drinks. I soaked split vanilla beans in bourbon for about 60 minutes here, inspired by a previous batch of infused bourbons. If you want extra vanilla flavor, add split vanilla beans to your bourbon a week or so before serving.
I also made a vanilla simple syrup to layer more vanilla into the julep. Yes, please.
If you want other mint julep inspiration, I’ve also made blueberry mint juleps, pineapple mint juleps, and a mint julep fruit salad with homemade marshmallow. Your day is set.
Frozen Peach and Vanilla Mint Juleps
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Ingredients
- 2 1/2 ounces bourbon optional: soaked with vanilla beans
- 1 ounce vanilla simple syrup
- 1 ounce club soda
- frozen peach slices
- crushed ice
- fresh mint leaves
Vanilla Mint Simple Syrup
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
- 1 bunch of mint leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Combine the bourbon and vanilla syrup, then shake or stir to chill. Fill a glass with frozen peach slices and crushed ice, pour the bourbon mixture over, top with club soda, and garnish with extra mint leaves and peach slices. Serve immediately.
Vanilla Bean Syrup
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In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, water, scraped vanilla seeds (and the bean), and the mint bunch. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture bubbles. Reduce to low and simmer 1–2 minutes. Cool completely, remove the mint, stir in the vanilla extract, and store in a jar. You can leave the vanilla pod in the jar for extra flavor.
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I appreciate you so much!
Half of this drink’s charm is the cute cups, right?