Juleps can be polarizing to whiskey fans, but if you’re dealing with people with a sweet tooth, skip the traditional and make them this Mint Julep Milkshake instead. Whether you’ve spent the day at the track or just partied your way through local Derby parties, you might need a sweet, decadent dessert cocktail to top off the day and celebrate your wins. This boozy, julep-inspired boozy milkshake will be your go to after the track!
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What’s in a Mint Julep Milkshake?
While a Mint Julep is made with just whiskey, sugar, mint and ice, it’s a quick drink to make and sip in the heat, but not sweet or light on alcohol. This Mint Julep Milkshake builds the mint and chocolate flavors by using mint chocolate chip ice cream and bourbon together.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- mint chocolate chip ice cream
- bourbon
- vanilla extract
- chocolate bitters
- whipped cream and mint for garnish
While we start with mint chocolate chip ice cream, we add vanilla extract to keep bourbon’s vanilla notes strong, and use 100 proof bourbon if possible to make sure the bourbon sings through the ice cream. And a few dashes of chocolate bitters to cut down the sweetness of the drink and we’ll top with some whipped cream and mint to garnish.
For more information on a classic mint julep, go to How to Make a Classic Mint Julep.
How to Make a Mint Julep Milkshake
The typical ingredients for a milkshake are just ice cream and a bit of milk. But when we make this boozy Kentucky Derby-themed milkshake, we substitute bourbon for the milk and punch up the proof with 100 proof bourbon – Old Forester is my preference.
To make a great milkshake you need to add bourbon to the blender first, then vanilla extract and chocolate bitters, then add two cups of ice cream and blend until smooth. Adding the liquid first allows the milkshake blend faster and smoother in a shorter amount of time.
I added some chocolate syrup in the chilled glass before pouring in the boozy Mint Julep milkshake, But if it’s sweet enough for you without, you can omit. If you’re serving this for guests, though, add the whipped cream and mint garnish for a beautiful presentation.
Other Options for this Boozy Kentucky Milkshake
While I chose to use mint chocolate ice cream, this is also fantastic made with vanilla ice cream instead, and with 1/8 tsp of mint extract added. If you’re reluctant to add chocolate to the flavors of this boozy shake you can add any ice cream flavor that goes well with mint flavors. Salted caramel, chocolate, and even banana would be delicious in combination with bourbon and a little mint extract.
The wonderful thing about this boozy milkshake is that it’s hard to mess up because you can use your favorite ice cream as the base. Honestly, even a great lemon sorbet would be a delicious combination. Although I might leave off vanilla extract in that case.
Other Cocktails To Try
Recommended Bar Tools
You don’t need every slick, beautiful bar tool out there, but there are several I’ll recommend. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. However, that does not affect the cost of the items below.) My favorite pieces usually come from the Cocktail Kingdom section of Amazon:
You may already have these bar essentials, but just in case:
Mint Julep Milkshake
Ingredients
- 2 cups mint chocolate chip ice cream
- 2 oz Old Forester 100 proof bourbon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 dashes chocolate bitters
- Garnish: whipped cream and mint
Instructions
- Add bourbon, vanilla extract, bitters and ice cream to a blender.
- Blend until creamy.
- Pour into a chilled serving glass and garnish with mint and whipped cream. Chocolate garnish is optional.
