Juleps Gone Wild: Blueberry Sage Julep

Last Updated on December 1, 2021 by Heather Wibbels

If you love blueberries or sage you will want to make a batch of these Blueberry Sage Julep and invite all of your favorite friends over to share with you. Remember last week when I made the sour with blueberry sage simple syrup? I had cousins over on the weekend and made up a julep on the fly. It was a resounding hit.

So it will be the first of many mint juleps in the next eleven days. If you aren’t familiar with the mint julep, it’s a cocktail that’s long been associated with both the South and horse racing. It’s thought that it’s served in a silver cup because it was was the winner was paid with. 

What’s in a Mint Julep

A traditional Mint Julep has bourbon, sugar, mint, and ice. That’s it. It’s traditionally served in a metal julep cup – with a pile of crushed ice and a large sprig of mint julep as garnish. It’s best served on hot days and sipped down in fun company. For more on the basics see How to Make a Classic Mint Julep. Or if you want to see how I come up with these fun twists on the classic, read How to Make Your Own Riff on a Mint Julep.

This Blueberry Sage Julep is a twist on the traditional julep. Instead of simple syrup, I add blueberry simple syrup that has been infused with fresh sage. In April, I can only really count on both my sage and my mint being fresh in the garden. Almost everything else waits until May or June to spring back to life.

A Fun Mint Julep Fact

The paper straw was invented for the julep. The man who applied for a patent for the first paper straw (before then agricultural straw was used for sipping) was Marvin C Stone, and in an early advertisement, it was called a julep straw. Useful for sipping both juleps and sherry cobblers filled with crushed ice, Stone got the idea for a paper straw from the way cigars are constructed and wrapped with tobacco leaves.

We’ve long focused on the plastic straw, but I’m happy to move back to paper, metal, or glass straws as they’ve become more common.

This easy julep is a cinch to put together and even easier to batch. The syrup recipe is on my website under the Blueberry Sour recipe on the front page. I made it from frozen wild blueberries steeped with a healthy dose of sage. 

How to Make the Blueberry Simple Syrup

What makes this Blueberry Sage Julep special is the infusion of sage in the simple syrup. I made mine rather fragrant because I knew I would use the simple syrup in small quantities and I wanted the aromas of sage to be detectable even with a small amount added to a cocktail. Because we’re steeping the sage in the blueberry syrup, we’ll make this as a cooked syrup. Here’s the recipe to make simple syrup (if you aren’t a fan of sage, rosemary, or cinnamon both work in wonderful ways as a substitute).

• 2 cups frozen wild blueberries
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup torn fresh sage leaves

Add sugar, water, and blueberries to a saucepan on the stove on medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the berries thaw and cook down. It’ll take about 10-15 minutes. Add the torn sage leaves, turn the heat to low for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat completely and let the sage steep in the syrup until it has cooled to room temperature. Strain and store in the fridge in a clean glass jar.

Other Juleps You Might Enjoy

• Cherry Mint Julep
• The Elvis Julep
• Chocolate Julep
• Blackberry Basil Julep
• Triple Crown Pie Julep (chocolate pecan)
• Breakfast Julep

The Sage-ist Blueberry Sage Julep

Heather Wibbels

Take your juleps to the next level with this fragrant, sage-infused blueberry mint julep with bourbon, blueberry simple syrup, and a sprig of fresh sage.

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Course Drinks

Cuisine Bourbon Cocktail

Servings 1

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 oz bourbon
• 1/2 oz blueberry sage simple syrup**
• 1 sage leaf
• garnish: sage sprig

Instructions

 

• Rub the sage leaf along the inside of the cup and the rim of the glass. Add the simple syrup and bourbon to the cup. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with a sage sprig right next to the straw.

Notes

**Blueberry Sage Simple Syrup

• 2 cups frozen wild blueberries
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup torn fresh sage leaves

Add sugar, water, and blueberries to a saucepan on the stove on medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the berries thaw and cook down. It’ll take about 10-15 minutes. Add the torn sage leaves, turn the heat to low for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat completely and let the sage steep in the syrup until it has cooled to room temperature. Strain and store in the fridge in a clean glass jar.

Keyword blueberry, bourbon, mint julep,, sage

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