This Saturday, May 6, Churchill Downs, the world’s most storied racetrack, will host the 143rd Kentucky Derby, a race that has created legends, such as Secretariat and American Pharoah.
Almost more famous than the horses who race – the perfectly mixed Mint Juleps, the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby for nearly a century. Each year, almost 120,000 Mint Juleps are served over the two-day period of Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby weekend. That’s a feat that requires more than 10,000 bottles of bourbon, 1,000 pounds of mint and 60,000 pounds of ice!
This weekend Trapper’s Bourbon Bar brings you the Kentucky Derby tradition from 2 – 6 p.m. Saturday. All Derby party attendees are encouraged to dress up in their biggest hats, bow ties and sharpest seersucker. Snap a picture (Mint Julep in hand is a bonus!) and share it on social media using #TrappersBourbonBar. The best dressed of the day – male and female – win a Pearl’s Restaurant Group Gift Card! But don’t frown if you don’t get crowned “Best Dressed” – you’ll still go home a winner with your Mint Julep copper glass.
So strap in for a fun ride this Saturday at Trapper’s Bourbon Bar and let the races begin!
The Old Forester Mint Julep Recipe (official recipe of Churchill Downs)
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- Sprigs of fresh mint
- Crushed ice
- Old Forester Straight Bourbon Whisky
- Silver Julep Cups
To make simple syrup, mix sugar and water together and boil 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 cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Old Forester Kentucky Whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
