This post was promised in the Disney Food Blog July Newsletter, and I’m excited to finally be publishing it!
If you’ve ever been to Disneyland, you know all about the famous alcohol-free (natch!) Mint Julep that can be found at Blue Bayou, Cafe Orleans, and the French Market. This refreshing, mint-y, lime-y, ice-y treat is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of cult favorite, but no matter what, you’ve gotta at least try it!
Disneyland Mint Julep
Enjoy it on the Cafe Orleans patio along with some of those delicious Pommes Frites, or grab one at the Mint Julep Bar at the French Market — where you can also get some great sweet snacks — and sit back and relax while listening to the Royal Street Bachelors! Ah, Disneyland. I miss you.
Mint Julep Bar at French Market
Mint Julep Bar Menu -- Click for Larger Version
French Market Jazz Trio
Disneyland Mint Julep Recipe
I found this recipe over on the No.1 Disneyland Blog, which is a really fun site I’ve just discovered!
Makes approximately 2/3 gallon
INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
3 tsp lime juice concentrate
3 cups club soda
6 Tbsp creme de menthe syrup (not liqueur)
6 oz thawed lemonade concentrate
mint leaves
pineapple slices
maraschino cherries
bamboo skewers
METHOD
Dissolve sugar into club soda. Add lime juice and lemonade and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add creme de menthe. Chill.
To serve, combine 3 parts syrup to 5 parts water. Add mint, and skewer two pineapple slices and a cherry. Serve chilled (add ice cubes if necessary).
So whaddya think? Have you tried the Mint Julep? Love it? Hate it? Let us know in the comments if this is your favorite drink or one that you regularly skip in favor of the Dole Whip float down the street! 😉
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Well I don’t think you can actually call that a mint julep. As a bartender, a New Orleanian and a drinker . . . a mint julep is crushed ice, bourbon, a sugar cube and mint . . . I understand they are looking for the spirit of the drink since they can’t serve alcohol at DL, but I think they’ve found the “spirit” of the mojito–not the mint julep–lime and fruit have no place in a julep!
I have loved the mint julep for years! My aunty introduced us to it, and we have a standing tradition: mint julep and a fritter, once each trip. Thanks for the recipe!
I think I speak for all Kentuckians when I say, That is no Mint Julep, Sir.
I’ve had it before and wasn’t really a fan of it, though I’m sure the people who are will appreciate the recipe.
I think the key, like so many things Disney, is not to compare it to the “authentic” version. It’s certainly not a legitimate Mint Julip, but it’s an interesting taste nonetheless.
I get this every time I visit this park. I’ve also made the drink at home. The at-home version doesn’t come close to the simply magical drink at the Mint Julep Bar. Maybe it’s the atmosphere, the people, I don’t know.
Definitely worth trying. For me, a visit to the park wouldn’t be the same without stopping by the bar. A Mint Julep is…well, magic!…on a hot day.
I’ve made this before from a recipe I found in the old Disney magazines and enjoy it every summer. I love that you can control the sweetness of the drink by how much water you add. In my opinion, they’re WAY too sweet in the parks now. They used to be a bit more mild. When we go now, I order one, and split it between 2 people, filling the rest up with fresh water. Then the julep is just like old times! hehe!
Interesting recipe for the Mint Julep, it could use some changes such as a sugar cube insted of granual sugar along with a few minor things.
We have the creme de menthe at work, and it’s some pretty sweet and messy stuff to deal with.
I’m definitely going to have to give this a try one of these days as I have access to a majority of the ingredients for this recipe. It sound pretty good and since I’m not allowed to drink yet (darn American and their laws) it’ll have to do.
Its called “Disneyland Mint Julep Receipe” for a reason folks! Its not intended to be disrespectful to those true affectionados in the bourbon states, but rather its a remake of a great and tasty drink we all got as kids at Disneyland. Thanks for the remake! Now all I have to do is make some frozen bananas and a batch of this and remember the Happiest Place On Earth 🙂
I just made a batch and tried it myself! I discovered that crushed spearmint leaves are a must! The creme de menthe w/out the leaves does give the drink a peppermint-sweetness, but the crushed leaves give it it’s tangy minty herbal taste that makes the drink so refreshing when wandering the streets of New Orleans Square. I used spearmint.
Obviously it’s not what some might call a “real mint julep” but It’s Disneyland for Pete’s sake! I’d much rather drink this and call it a “mint julep” than drink a glass of bourbon with some crushed mint leaves in it.
Thanks for the feedback, Matt!!
Absolutely LOVED it! So glad to have the recipe 🙂
I’ve been getting slowly better at making these: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cziebarth/8561281918/in/photostream/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/cziebarth/8560174609/in/photostream
i just wish that disney would sell the syrup so we can take it home. i have had the recipe for years but just haven’t taken the time to make it and also finding creme de mint syrup is no where in my location. please disney sell the syrup because i would be a loyal bulk customer because its the best drink in disney
Oh good grief.
Look, anyone can call anything a mint julep if they feel like it! This doesn’t say the Kentucky Derby’s Mint Julep and it doesn’t say Old Fashioned Mint Julep.
Let’s look at a dictionary, shall we? Julep is defined as:
ju·lep
/ˈjo͞oləp/
Noun
A sweet flavored drink made from a sugar syrup, sometimes containing alcohol or medication.
So there you have it!
I don’t think we need a lesson on what mint is. So long as a drink is made from a sugar syrup and has mint, anything goes.
/rant
Today marks the first time. i try a Julep, and honestly i can’t believe i missed out on it all these years. I love it and it will become tradition on every visit.
I absolutely love this drink! Been a tradition in my family to get one every time we go to Dland! Disney is very gracious to extend the recipe to the public & I for one am very thankful! With the rising ticket prices & parking I really can’t go anymore. 🙁 thankfully I can have a piece of old fashion disney at home with me!
Very greatful! Thanks Disney!
I love, love this drink!! I get 2 or 3 in one day at Disneyland. Thank you so much for the recipe. I can’t wait to make this yummy drink!
So, be honest… anyone who’s tried this recipe…
does it REALLY taste like that green soda we all loved as kids? or is is just “similar”?
This is a childhood favorite of mine!! I understand that this is not a true julep but for crying out loud folks this is Disneyland and I might be old fashioned but I think alcohol has no place in the Magical Kingdom!
“Western Family Non-Alchoholic Mojito” comes pretty darn close to this. It’s a generic brand in British Columbia so I can’t vouch for any other similar drink.
Just made this, and it came out so good just like Disneyland. Thank you for this recipe 🙂
I finnaly made it and it was yummy cant wait to try it with the remaing club soda or fruit juice!
It doesn’t really matter what you call it, it’s been a staple at Disneyland for decades and is a refreshing drink. Since Disney needed something with a New Orleans flavor, and they don’t sell liquor (or didn’t at the time), it was a good alternative to Coca Cola. When you make it at home, you can adjust the strength (of mint or sugar) to suit yourself. I stopped buying club soda and just use water…didn’t see any difference. It is delicious. Look for creme de menthe syrup where they sell coffee syrups.
I have to agree with the drinkers above that this ain’t no Mint Julep!!
It may well be a nice refreshing drink offered in DL, however when I saw the title of the article I went looking for a Disney “enfused” recipe for a spin on the original mint julep.
I won’t go and concoct a smoothie using pineapple vodka and some custard vodka and call it Dole Whip…however it does sound good.
Whenever making drinks, always use superfine sugar, not granulated sugar. SMH.
Why Pineapple? It always comes with two cherries with stems and a lemon slice .
My daughter Patricia (born on my birthday) and I make a special trip to get a Mint Julep whenever she comes down from Washington around our birthday in April.
Now I will have to try (and share) this recipe with her along with our special visits to Disneyland!
Thanks!
Chaplain Chuck
Chaplain Chuck — Let us know how it goes!
To all the haters:
I don’t care if they call it a mint pooper scooper, it’s delicious.
I am allergic to alcohol and any time there is a decent mixed drink that doesn’t include alcohol, that’s just a beautiful thing…
Maybe we should start calling this a California mint julep as this is the only kind most of us know about until we travel to the south land…
I am 50 and my gramma used to get me these on our Disney adventures back in the 70’s… I have such fond memories of those times! Now my daughters love them as much as I did… little bits of heaven they are! My 13 year old came home with a recipe today and asked me to take her to the store so she can make a special surprise… this recipe! Cannot wait to make it!!!! Will update when we make it.
Kate — How wonderful!! Please share with us about your experience once you’ve made them!
I’ve gotten the recipe from Disneyland’s Town Hall . It was difficult to find creme de menthe syrup that was non-alcoholic. We ended up with Torani creme de menthe syrup and it tasted awful. I don’t know if it is because we used Torani and regular granulated sugar or what. I keep googling the recipe and don’t find any specifics listed for the sugar or the syrup. Amazon sells Torani, Reese, and Amoretti, I’m tempted to order the other two syrups and see but I’m hoping you can tell us what sugar and what brand of syrup you used. Thank you in advance.
As one of the three original “Julep Jerks” (our costumes looked like 1950’s fountain soda jerks) who worked in the Mint Julep Bar in the late 60’s, I think the best description was supplied by an individual we trained to open Florida’s Magic Kingdom. He told people it tasted like “carbonated Scope with a hint of mint.”
I do enjoy the Disneyland Mint Julep. When I made it at home with this recipe, it tasted awful. Would someone please tell me what kind of sugar they used, what brand of mint syrup they used to make a drink that is refreshing and similiar to the Disneyland one??
My only thing is that the club soda goes flat…the juleps at DL are not flat!
The minute you boiled the club soda, you killed the carbonation. It has been a while; but I believe DL Mint Julep’s are carbonated. So what you really want to do is create a simple syrup, so maybe take 1 cup of regular water and boil with the sugar. Then mix in the lime juice, lemonade, and creme de menthe syrup after taking off the heat (heat will change the flavors of those ingredients). Let it cool down and this is your syrup. Add 2 (or 3) cups of club soda, or just carbonated water, to the syrup and you’ll probably have brighter flavors and retain the carbonation.
Idk how late I am to the game here, but for a couple of decades now Disney has been using a beverage on tap instead of this recipe. That’s probably why some people have noticed the difference. (I am allergic to the new “on tap” version, which contains corn syrup instead of sugar)
What is lime juice concentrate? Are they taking about Rose’s Lime, which would have been easily available when this was created, something like Monin’s concentrated lime or a powder like True Lime’s packets? Master Mixes might be a good ingredient too.
BTW, the official Disney recipe says non-alcoholic OR Creme de Menthe liqueur can be used. It’s pretty diluted so not really an issue.