The HerKentucky Guide to Mint Juleps
Gear up for Kentucky Derby 141 with a fresh batch of mint juleps!
Happy Derby Week, y'all! Kentucky Derby 141 is almost here, and HerKentucky has a series of tips that will help you do Derby like a local. Today, we're talking about the Kentucky Derby's signature cocktail, the mint julep!
Mad Men's Betty Draper serves mint juleps.
Mint juleps are one of the most iconic things about the Kentucky Derby. Oddly, they're among the most divisive, too. Some folks find the signature blend of Kentucky bourbon whiskey, simple syrup, and muddled mint to be a refreshing spring cocktail, while others consider it a waste of good bourbon. I love a julep around Derby Day, while my beau cites legendary Louisville newspaperman Henry Watterson's recipe: "Pluck the mint gently from its bed, just as the dew of the evening is about to form upon it ... Prepare the simple syrup and measure out a half-tumbler of whiskey." "Pour the whiskey into a well-frosted silver cup, throw the other ingredients away and drink the whiskey."
Whether you love or hate the drink, it's pretty much a rule that you have to know how to make a mint julep if you're entertaining folks around Derby time.
The first thing you need to do is decide on a julep cup. A silver julep cup is, of course, the traditional way to go. I recently had a chance to talk to Matt Burnett of Wakefield-Scearce Galleries. For Matt, the julep cup is, quite literally, the family business. His grandfather, Mark Scearce, was a jeweler turned silversmith who was originally drawn to julep cup design while buying up coin silver during the World War II silver shortage. Over the years, Mr. Scearce developed a unique design that incorporates an English-style watermark and a seal denoting the current U.S. President. Silver julep cups are stunning, of course, but I asked Matt whether it was a lot of work to constantly polish a set. "Not if you use them often!" was his quick response. "Frequent use keeps them shiny!"
Antique coin-silver julep cups at Wakefield-Scearce.
Stoneware julep cups from Louisville Stoneware are another fantastic option. These gorgeous cups are a colorful and unique way to keep your julep cold, yet staying comfortable to the touch.
When it comes to bourbon, I always advise people to stick to what they personally like to drink. After all, a mint julep is just like any other cocktail, and comes down to personally preference. Of course, you should keep that within reason; it's a travesty to mix 23-year Pappy Van Winkle with anything. Woodford Reserve or Maker's Mark are always good. Old Forester makes for a delicious cocktail. (That's what the track is using this year!)
Another consideration is your mint -- most recipes call for Kentucky Colonel. This year, I picked up a Chocolate Mint varietal as well; can't wait to see how the flavors vary!
Of course, you can get as fancy or as simple with your sugar for the simple syrup as you like. I use demerara sugar for a little more complex flavor.
Classic Mint Julep Recipe
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- Sprigs of fresh mint
- Crushed ice
- Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (your favorite brand is the best!)
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 Kentucky bourbon. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
Have a great Derby Week! Cheers, y'all!
The History of Kentucky Derby Hats
Why we wear hats to the Kentucky Derby.
Did you ever wonder why we wear elaborate hats to the Kentucky Derby? Well, the history of the Kentucky Derby goes back to the Derby Stakes in Britain, known here in the States as the Epsom Derby. The Epsom Derby was first run in 1780 and is the highest-purse horse race in Britain.
Derby Day, a 1952 film set at the Epsom Derby. It looks like the heroine needs a mint julep, no?
Voltigeur, winner of the 1850 Epsom Derby.
In 1873, Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. visited Europe, taking in the Epsom Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp. He returned home to Louisville and organized the race now known as the Kentucky Derby, looking toward these races for inspiration for track design, race length and other details. When the Kentucky Derby began in 1875, Kentucky ladies wore their finest to the races, just as their British counterparts did. Of course, in those days, finery included a chapeau, and the tradition stuck.
Kentucky Derby 1938. via The Huffington Post.
Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh at Epsom in 1948. via The Daily Mail.
If you think about it, we still kind of look to the Brits for millinery fashion. Around the time Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice and Duchess Kate began wearing fascinators and small, snug-fitting hats to weddings and races, we started to see those styles around the track in Louisville as well.
Prince William, Prince Harry, and Duchess Kate at the 2011 Epsom Derby. via Getty Images. I was really just looking for an excuse to post this photo of Harry, obvs.
Here's to Derby style and gorgeous chapeaux! Happy Derby week, y'all!
Country Ham Balls
Besides bourbon, Kentucky has a great country ham scene, and why not highlight it with this delicious recipe? Not only is it easy and delicious, the meatballs can be made ahead of time then baked when you need them!
country ham balls
Inside showing the country ham and pork sausage!
country ham balls
adapted from Sterling Bits
makes 24-36 balls (depending on how you roll them)
2 pounds local country ham, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
2 pounds local pork sausage
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 local eggs, beaten
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon mustard
1 cup white wine vinegar
- Mix country ham, sausage, bread crumbs, and eggs together until well combined.
- Roll out meat mixture to golf-ball sized meat balls. At this point, the meatballs can be cooked or frozen for future use.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.
- Meanwhile, combine brown sugar, mustard, and vinegar in a pot. Boil until rolling and allow to boil for 2 minutes.
- Place meatballs in a 9x13 casserole dish and pour hot sauce over meatballs.
- Bake for 20 minutes, turning balls at least once, or until done.
- Serve.
Jennifer is the chef behind a girl eats world; head over for more Kentucky Proud recipes!
Last Minute Derby Party Prep with Rocksbox
Product review and free trial code for Rocksbox
This time of year, there's always ONE MORE party to attend. That's the magical thing about Louisville around Derby time. The Kentucky Derby may be a two minute horse race, but we celebrate for a week or so. And, the invitations keep rolling in. Sometimes, you're booked for two to three events in a day. It's a pretty wonderful problem to have.
Me, last night, at Moet & Chandon's Derby in a Bottle party
I like to joke that, this time of year, everybody in Louisville suffers from #DerbyFoMo: The fear of missing out on a good Derby-related party. So, we keep going, even though we have work and social obligations. After all, Derby only comes around once a year, right?
With all these fun festivities to attend, it was really nice to come home to a package from Rocksbox the other day. Rocksbox is a subscription jewelry service that sends three pieces of jewelry at a time straight to your mailbox. You can wear them and return them or, if you fall in love with a specific piece, you can purchase it at a special price. How simple is that?
Rocksbox has teamed with HerKentucky to help you prep for your last-minute party invitations and avoid #DerbyFoMo by providing you a free one-month subscription to Rocksbox. Just use code herkentuckyxoxo at checkout, and there's one less thing you have to do to prepare for big parties!
Thanks so much to Rocksbox for providing me a sample subscription for review! I hope you check out their service for yourself!
The HerKentucky Guide to Benedictine
Kentucky's iconic cucumber-and-cream-cheese spread
Benedictine is one of those iconic Louisville recipes that the rest of the world just hasn't caught onto yet. Come springtime in the Derby City, though, you're bound to see the cucumber-and-cream-cheese sandwich spread on several serving tables.
Benedictine was invented by Jennie C. Benedict, a Louisville native food critic, cookbook author, and caterer. Over the years, Miss Benedict owned a soda fountain and a tea room, and she developed a spread to accompany cucumber sandwiches. The following is said to be her original recipe:
Jennie Benedict's original Benedictine recipe
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 3 tbsps. cucumber juice
- 1 tbsp. onion juice
- 1 tsp. salt
- A few grains of cayenne pepper
- 2 drops green food coloring
These days, most folks go for grated cucumbers and onions in place of the juices and omit the Easter-egg green color. Some folks add dill, creating a distinctly tzatziki taste; others add a little mayonnaise or sour cream to thin the spread down for use as a sauce.
Of course, Louisville-area hostesses are often short on time as the Kentucky Derby draws near, so I asked some local ladies in the know for advice about Benedictine, and found that a lot is up to personal taste. One friend known for her own terrific Benedictine recipe and fabulous Derby parties admitted that, in a pinch, she'll pick some up from Plehn's. Others mentioned Karem's Liquor and Deli, Divinity Catering, Home Cuisine, Uptown Cafe, Paul's Fruit Market, and Ladyfingers for their pre-made spread needs.
Benedictine and Bacon at Stevens & Stevens.
The serving style for Benedictine sandwiches is also a matter of some discussion. Some folks prefer a dainty tea sandwich served on white bread, while others are devoted to a darker bread like pumpernickel. And, of course, there are plenty of folks who like their Benedictine in combination with other sandwich fixings. My personal favorite is the Benedictine and Bacon from Stevens & Stevens Deli. (which is, inexplicably, listed on the vegetarian menu...)
Whether made from scratch or purchased pre-made, served in a dainty sandwich or in a healthy dollop with bacon, Benedictine is a classic taste of the Kentucky Derby that you’ll crave every spring!
The HerKentucky Guide to Horse Race Betting
With Keeneland's Spring Meet in session and Derby just around the corner, it's time to talk betting, y'all!
There are as many ways to choose a winning horse as there are horses in the world. Do you favor the "pick a horse by his name" tactic? How about the "my favorite color is the color of the silks!" tactic? What about the old tried and true, "Always bet on the grey!" route?
Whatever way you choose the horse to cheer for, you're never wrong. Horse racing is fun to watch and is fun to wager on if you do so responsibly and in the spirit of fun.
A lot of people, though, are mystified by all the jargon surrounding wagers and intimidated by the betting window. What's an exacta? Are they in some sort of box? Handicap? Is that bad for the horse? By no means am I an expert, but I hope I can shed a little bit of light on the subject.
I grew up in a family of horse racing enthusiasts. I remember going to Ellis Park as a child with my dad and loving it - the excitement, the pretty horses, the treat my dad would buy me when his horse won the race. My 88 year old grandmother still goes to the track, regularly, both as a social outlet and as a way to earn a little "fun money" as she calls it.
With that little bit of background, let me start with the basics. The first order of business is to buy a program when you get to the track. You can tell the serious-types by the copy of The Daily Racing Form; they have tucked under their arm. They probably bought it the night before at Kroger and have been studying. However, the Keeneland program is a great source of information. It can give you a lot of information for each race, but I generally look at the following:
- the type of race - turf or track?
- the length of the race
- the purse (prize money) for the race
The program will also tell you the following about the horse:
- the horse's name
- the jockey's name
- the trainer's name
- the owner/farm
- the color of the horse, the color of the silks and the number in the race
- past performances of the horse
There is a lot of information and knowledge to be gleaned from the program, and it can be confusing to read. If you'd like to learn more about how to read it, there's a fantastic guide at the very beginning of the program. It will explain what each little number and symbol mean. Look over it a few times and take it in.
As I said earlier, there is no wrong way to pick a horse. There are no rules. My dad would tell you he likes to study the past performances. My uncle would tell you he likes to take a look at the horses in the paddock and see who has their game face on.
For me, wagering is a mix between sentiment and educated guessing.
Just like in other sports, I have sometimes irrational likes and dislikes. I tend to not like teams with red school colors. In horse racing, I tend to be sentimental about horses bred and trained on Kentucky farms. I also tend to like catchy or witty names, and I do almost always try to put a little money on the grey.
When I'm making educated guesses, though, I compare the type and length of race with the horse's past performances. Is this a horse's first race on turf or is the horse pushing up in race distance? Eh, I'll probably pass. I also tend to look at the purse for the current race and see what sort of purses they've raced for in the past. It's just like people races. If you'll forgive the analogy, all future Olympians probably start out on the high school track, proceed through the NCAA ranks, the national events and on to the Olympic trials. They don't start off racing against Usain Bolt (well, if they're lucky). Horses start out in small purse races. If they win, they may move up in class to larger purse races. So, take a glance at the winnings and the race purses. Are they making the jump from a low purse to a medium purse race? Maybe it's worth betting on, but the odds probably aren't in your favor.
I also take a glance at the morning line odds (printed in the program) and the live odds scrolling across the screens at the track. The odds-makers are smarter than me. If I want to win, I bet on favorites. If I want to win big, I bet on medium- to long-shots.
The thing that can trump all of these educated guesses, though, are the conditions. Be sure to check the big board in the infield where the track conditions will be listed. Sloppy track conditions often make for big payout days! Bet on the longshot and you could win big!
So, I've narrowed down the field to a few horses that I'm interested in placing a wager on. My program looks like a first draft after the editor's gotten hold of it - notes in the margins, Xs over the horses who have scratched (dropped out of the race), etc. I know which horses I'd like to bet on. Now, what kind of bet should I place?
Betting amounts are always a personal preference, but a $2 bet is the standard and is what the payouts on the board will reflect.
A quick discussion about how to word your bet at the window. There are signs that explain this but you generally should say, "Hi! I'd like to place a bet on Race #__ at Keeneland. I'd like $__ on horse #__ to [insert type of bet]."
Your basic bet is Win, Place or Show. If you think a horse can win, you can put $2 on the horse to Win (you'd say, "$2 on horse 7 to Win"). In a Win bet, you will only win your bet if your horse does, in fact, win the race. Since "Place" is really Second Place, you're wagering that the horse will at least come in second. A "Show" bet is for the horse to come in somewhere in the top three. This is interesting when it comes to payouts. If you bet a horse to Show, but it ends up winning, you'll still win some money back. However, it will be less than if you had bet the horse to win outright. Does that make sense? In a nutshell:
- $2 on a horse to Win - pays out only if the horse wins the race
- $2 on a horse to Place - pays out if the horse wins or comes in second (less money than a win)
- $2 on a horse to Show - pays out if the horse finishes in the top three (least payout of these three types of bets)
You might hear people saying that they are betting horses "Across the Board." That sounds fancy, huh? Basically, it is an easy way of making three bets at once. If you say, "I'd like $2 on horse 5 across the board," you've actually made a $2 bet to win, a $2 bet to place and a $2 bet to show. This bet would cost you $6, but your odds of a higher payout have increased. If your chosen horse has heard you cheering hard enough and wins the race, you'll receive the money shown on the board for Win, Place and Show. It's really fun to do this!
There are many bets that are more complicated. These involve picking more than one horse and are called exotics. Basically, there are an Exacta, a Trifecta and a Superfecta. An exacta bet is when you choose two horses to finish first and second. A trifecta is when you choose three horses to finish first, second and third. A superfecta, you guessed it, is picking the top four finishing horses. One very key thing to note - in plain ol' exactas, trifectas and superfectas, your horses must finish in the order you say they'll finish or you don't win. It really stinks when your horses might all finish in the top, but not in the order you specified. To get around this, you can "box" the bet so that any combination of your horses in the right finishing places will win you some money. To box the bet is more expensive, but it could save some heartbreak!
Betting the exotics can be confusing when it comes to knowing what to say. Basically, take your time when placing a bet. To place a straight exacta bet, you would say, "$2 Exacta on horses x & y." It is similar for a Trifecta - "$2 Trifecta on horses x, y, z." For a Superfecta, you name four horses. To box it, simply say "Exacta/Trifecta/Superfect box."
Exotics can also get expensive rather quickly. You will basically have to pay your bet amount (in the case above, $2) for each combination you are betting on. So, a straight Exacta is a bet on one horse to come in first and another horse to come in second. That's one bet and will cost two dollars. What if you want to box it, though, so your horses can come in any order? Two combinations. $2 x 2 = $4 A $2 Trifecta box is really six combinations, so will cost you $12. Superfectas are even more! I would suggest betting a $1 Superfecta Box just for fun. It will cost you $24 - more than I'm willing to idly spend on one race on a fun day at the track.
Exotics can be expensive but can be lots of fun when your educated guessing happens to be right! My husband and I once placed a last-minute Trifecta bet (boxed) for $12 and walked away with nearly $600! That's fun any way you slice it. Just for fun-facts-sharing-time, the trifecta in the 2005 Kentucky Derby (Giacomo, Closing Argument and Afleet Alex) paid $133,000 on a $24 bet! I'd wager that there's someone out there who is a lawyer, a Sting fan (he owned Giacomo) and has a son named Alex who just might have hit that one!
Going to the track is fun if you're just there to people watch. If you manage to people watch, place a few bets and win a couple of dollars (or at least enough to cover your bar tab and taxi fare), then you've had a great day!
Good luck, and Go, Baby, Go!