Matcha Mint Julep – A Green Tea Cocktail

A matcha mint julep is simple to make with just 5 ingredients – matcha, mint, brown sugar & water (brown sugar simple syrup!), and bourbon. It’s a fantastic green tea cocktail with a refreshing touch from the mint.

This refreshing iced tea cocktail is perfect for anything from a happy hour pick-me-up to a derby party and satisfies bourbon and green tea lovers, alike. Serve over crushed ice with a sprig of mint.

You can mix green tea with rum, vodka, gin, whiskey, or in this case, bourbon. Green tea has a delicate flavor, so it tastes great when you keep the cocktail simple, with simple ingredients.

This green tea cocktail has caffeine. It is about half the amount of caffeine as espresso and about the same amount as a cup of coffee. The caffeine in matcha is long-lasting and less likely to give you jitters than coffee.

To make this recipe, you will need bourbon, water, fresh mint, culinary-grade matcha powder, bourbon, and crushed ice.

How to Make a Matcha Mint Julep

The following are affiliate links to purchase the equipment and matcha I use in this recipe. These are external links and will open in a new tab:

• Matcha whisk (optional) – you can also use a regular whisk.
• Culinary grade matcha
• 1 1/2 cup measuring cup you can put on the stove (optional) – the link is to the set I own and love, but you can also use a small saucepan.
• Muddler

Start With a Brown Sugar Simple Syrup

For the simple syrup, add 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of water to a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and stir until dissolved. Let cool, then keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator. The simple syrup will last for up to one month, so feel free to scale up the recipe 1:1.

The Cocktail

Mix the bourbon and culinary-grade matcha powder in a small bowl (photo 1). Whisk them together to remove all the clumps, preferably with a matcha whisk (photo 2).

You can also sift in the matcha powder to help reduce clumping. If you don’t have a matcha whisk, you can use a regular whisk or fork.

In an old-fashioned glass, rocks glass, or julep cup add the mint leaves and simple syrup (photo 3). Muddle until the leaves just start to break down (photo 4).

Fill the glass 3/4 full with crushed ice and then add the bourbon/matcha mixture (photo 5). Stir the ice until the glass starts to frost (photo 6). You can also do this in a cocktail shaker, but it isn’t necessary.

Then add more crushed ice to fill the glass as full as you can, and garnish with a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.

More Cocktails and Mocktails

If you’re looking for other easy & refreshing cocktails, check out these favorites.