Every first Saturday in May is the Kentucky Derby , when the first race in the Triple Crown serial is go at Churchill Downs in Louisville . It ’s a storied sawbuck race , with tradition like large hats and cocktail , specifically the mint julep .
This Churchill Downs staple fibre — a cocktail withbourbon , refreshed mint , ice , sugar and body of water — has been the Kentucky Derby ’s official drink since 1938 , but experts believe its chronicle here goes well beyond the ' 30s . Churchill Downs instance Sara Brown Meehan toldGood Morning Americathat some say racetrack officials imbed mint for the cocktail as early as 1875 , when the famed race began .
A Mint Julep History
Mint julep are as synonymous with the Kentucky Derby as oversized hats , but these cocktails actually start more than 400 miles ( 643 kilometers ) forth . Virginia is credit with spearheading the mint julep movement . The first account dates back to 1803 , when Englishman John Davis delineate it as " a drachma of spirituous hard liquor that has mountain in it , taken by Virginians of a morning , " in his book " Travels of Four and a Half Years in the United States of America . "
At that time , the Bourbon dynasty was n’t the spirit of choice . In fact , any look would do . It was n’t until the 1770s when Virginians moved west — have the tidy sum julep with them — that Kentucky add a signature twist to the cocktail : bourbon . Virginians used rum and brandy in their batch julep , but Henry Clay , a Kentucky senator in the early 1800s , introduced Bourbon dynasty , Kentucky ’s famous liveliness , as the root .
As a beloved Kentucky boozing , the batch mint julep slow seeped its elbow room into Derby culture . Records even show broadcaster lamenting the lack of the drinking duringProhibitionfrom 1920 to 1933 .
The Signature Silver Cup
In Kentucky Derby refinement , the julep cup is just as important as the cocktail itself . These silken sterling silver cups predate the derby . The cups date back to the 1800s when early Kentucky silversmiths from Lexington and Louisville debuted the design .
" It was a pop giving for christening , weddings or a graduation , " Natalia Cardenas , brand embassador for the derby ’s prescribed bourbon , Woodford Reserve , say in an e-mail . " platter date back to the 1800s show that julep cup were being given out as prizes at the county fair . "
slipstream officials used julep cups as trophies for first - spot jockeys in the 1820s . The signature pattern , cognise for a widely - footed base and either a beaded lip or bands at the top , is more than just ornamental . " It is meant to be moderate only by touch the top or the bottom , allowing the silver to frost over , " Cardenas say .
Since its origin , the julep cup has taken many forms . In 2008 , Churchill Downs debuted thelargest muckle julep methamphetamine in the mankind : a 6 - foot - magniloquent ( 1.8 - measure ) cup with a 206 gallon ( 779 - liter ) capacity ; that ’s the eq of 5,000 deal juleps . Woodford Reserve and Tiffany & Co. alsoauctioned offthree luxe julep cup in 2011 . The cups , which started at $ 2,000 , vaunt 24 - kt - gold bases that the in high spirits - end jeweler used for knight racing trophies in 1876 . The Derby typically serves its juleps in glass souvenir cups , though .
Make a Mean Mint Julep
They may be best served in sterling atomic number 47 loving cup , but craft a mint julep at home does n’t have to be daunting . Cardenas contribute us her recipe for make believe a Woodford Reserve raft julep :
Ingredients
instruction
Cardenas recommends Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey because its flavor is powerful enough to stand up to the ingredient , and at 90.4 proof , it can last for a handful of race . " Be certain not to over - addle the mint , as it tends to make the drink sulphurous , " Cardenas order . " Make certain your dewy-eyed syrup is equal piece sugar to water , and crushed methamphetamine is best because it dilutes and cool the cocktail the fastest . " To make crushed ice at home , Cardenas says just enclose up a few Methedrine regular hexahedron in a white ravisher towel and crush it with a rolling peg or kitchen hammer .
Molly Wellmann , a renowned barkeep in Cincinnati , says she looks for Bourbon dynasty that creates a well - balanced drink for her mint juleps . " Old Forester is an fantabulous choice because it is n’t too spicy and the corn shows through , " she says in an electronic mail . " I would n’t urge using a high - rye Bourbon dynasty . " Wellmann also tops her mint julep with a stir of dark rum for creative thinking . " It ’s a reversion to when the spirit of choice was rum , and it really brings out the yellowish brown and vanilla notes . "
Mint Julep
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