The Kentucky Derby and Mint Juleps....

• The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of one and a quarter miles at Churchill Downs.  This year it will be held on May 1st.  
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• What do you need to celebrate? 
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• BOURBON!  
• Maker's Mark is a really good bourbon, and Jim Bean is probably one of the least expensive: 
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• MINT.  
• Mine has survived all winter indoors!



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• SILVER JULEP CUPS: 





• AND A FASCINATOR, of course!

Mint Juleps were always a part of racing culture, not just the Derby and they became the Kentucky Derby’s official drink in 1939.

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• How do you make a Mint Julep?



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• • Mint Julep 

  • 8 mint leaves
  • 2 oz Bourbon
  • 1/4 ounce simple syrup 
  • Garnish: mint sprig
  • Garnish: Angostura bitters (optional)

  1. In a silver Mint Julep cup , lightly muddle the mint leaves in the simple syrup. Add the bourbon then pack the glass tightly with crushed ice.  Stir until the cup is frosted on the outside.  Top with more crushed ice to form an ice dome, and garnish with a mint sprig and a few drops of bitters (optional).

  2. MINT SPRIG GARNISH

     Firmly slap the mint sprig on the back of your hand before garnishing; this releases the oils to make the mint more aromatic.

     
     

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• Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. (1846–1899), who founded Churchill Downs in 1875, supposedly grew mint behind the club.



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• My money is on "Bourbonic" this year!



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• Race Post Time is 6:57!
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