Derby Days!

OK, so I'm not a big race fan (horses or otherwise), but I do enjoy a good beverage now and again. So in honor of the Kentucky Derby, which is tommorrow I am posting the recipe for the hallowed mint julep. I snatched it off the official Derby website, which is actually pretty cool.

Hunter S Thompson called the Derby "decadent and depraved" and after a few of these bad boys it's easy to see why. As far as the race itself goes, my money's on Afleet Alex. Only because his mother rejected him when he was born, (seriously) but he grew up to be big and strong and fast. (He won at Oaklawn in Hot Springs by eight lengths).

So drink up, and happy Derby Days.


Mint Julep

For nearly a century, the mint julep has been the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. The Early Times Mint Julep Cocktail is a ready-to-serve beverage that has been the "The Official Mint Julep of the Kentucky Derby®" for over 16 years. Over 80,000 Early Times Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby, requiring 8,000 liters of Early Times Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail, 2,200 pounds of freshly harvested mint, and 80 tons of shaved ice.

The Grade II Early Times Mint Julep Stakes on May 24 at Churchill Downs is sponsored by Early Times, the time-honored ingredient in mixing an authentic mint julep. If the Early Times Mint Julep Ready-to-Serve Cocktail is not available from your local retailer, you can make your own with this recipe:

Early Times Mint Julep

* 2 cups sugar
* 2 cups water
* Sprigs of fresh mint
* Crushed ice
* Early Times Kentucky Whisky
* Silver Julep Cups

Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.