Specialty Drinks and Recipes
The following Kentucky creations will weave tradition into your Derby party.
Mint Julep
A blend of sweetened bourbon with fresh mint fills a glass with Derby tradition.
Party Portions
Cracked ice
1 gallon of Kentucky Bourbon whiskey
1 batch of minted simple syrup
cutting of fresh mint, rinsed
Individual Drink Portions
2 jiggers of bourbon
1 jigger of mint syrup
1 sprig of fresh mint
Fill a chilled 16 oz sterling silver julep cup or Derby glass with cracked ice. Add 1
jigger of mint syrup and 2 jiggers of bourbon. Stir with a swizzle stick until the glass
begins to frost. Add a sprig of mint and a straw cut to protrude just above the rim of the
cup and serve.
Minted simple syrup:
1 cup cold water
1 cups sugar
1 bunch fresh mint (approx. 1 cup packed stem and all)
Bring water and sugar to a boil over high heat. Boil, stirring until sugar is
completely dissolved. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add leaves from mint, bruising
the leaves very gently as you stir. Cover and set aside overnight. Strain the syrup
through cheesecloth. Discard the mint. Refrigerated the syrup will last for months. This
is one recipe you can make weeks ahead!
Makes 32 juleps
Mimosas
Whether getting ready for the Derby event or enjoying a brunch the day after a fresh
mimosa hits the spot!
1 quart orange juice
1 fifth Champagne
1 pint fresh strawberries
Superfine sugar (optional)
Wet rims of champagne glasses and dip in sugar. Freeze glasses. Wash strawberries, but
do not hull. Pour orange juice into a punch bowl set in ice. Pour Champagne over orange
juice and stir once or twice. Ladle into glasses and garnish each with a split strawberry
on the rim.
Or, for individual sized portions, pour champagne in a glass with a strawberry in it,
splash with a shot of OJ. Voila!
Kentucky Hot Brown
Created in Kentucky this recipe wins the race with diners!
For each Hot Brown
3 oz Turkey breast; roasted and sliced
1 slice toasted white bread
2 slices tomato
2 slices bacon, cooked and drained
Sauce
2 oz butter
3 oz flour
3/4 cup cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated
Salt and white pepper to taste
Heat butter and add flour. Whisk and slowly cook for 5 minutes. Whisk in cream and milk
and heat. Whisk in cheese until melted. Season. Simmer for 30 minutes. Sauce should be
very thick.
Quarter toast and place in an oven safe dish. Top with turkey and tomatoes. Cover well
with sauce. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Garnish with bacon.
Benedictine
A tasty refreshing spread. My favorite way to serve this dish is spread on the bread of
a BLT.
1 cucumber, peeled
1 medium onion
1 lb. cream cheese
2-3 drops green food coloring
Grate cucumber and onions (may use a food processor) and drain well in a strainer,
pressing down with spoon to remove all liquid. Discard liquid. Add drained cucumbers and
onion to cream cheese and mix well in food processor. Color with 2-3 drops of green food
coloring.
Use as a sandwich spread or as a dip.
Burgoo (Serves
20)
A great dish to feed the frenzied party goers!
3 lb Ready to Cook Broiler Chicken
12 cups Water
1/4 t Pepper
56 oz (2 cans) Tomatoes
1 cup Cubed Peeled Potatoes
2 cups Coarsely Chopped Carrots
1 cup Chopped Onion
1 cup Chopped Celery
2 T Packed Dark Brown Sugar
4 ea Whole Cloves
1 ea Bay Leaf
32 oz (2 cans) Butter Beans
2 lb Beef Shank Cross-cuts
1 T Salt
6 ea Slices Bacon
1 cup Chopped Green Pepper
1/4 t Crushed Dried Red Pepper
1 ea Clove Garlic, Minced
| 4 ea Ears Of Fresh Corn
10 oz Frozen Cut Okra
2/3 c Unbleached All-purpose Flour
In 10-quart Dutch oven or stock pot combine chicken, beef cross cuts, water, salt and
pepper. Cover; cook until meat is tender, about 1 hour. Remove chicken and beef from
broth, reserving broth. Remove chicken and beef from bones; discard skin and bones. Cube
beef and chicken. Set aside. Cook bacon until crisp; drain, reserving drippings. Crumble
bacon, set aside. To reserved broth in Dutch oven, add cubed beef, undrained tomatoes,
potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, green pepper, sugar, red pepper, cloves, garlic, and bay
leaf. Cover; simmer 1 hour, stirring often. Remove cloves and bay leaf. With knife, make
cuts down center of each row of corn kernels and scrape off of cobs. Add corn, cubed
chicken, undrained beans, and okra to Dutch oven; simmer 20 minutes. Blend flour and
reserved bacon drippings; stir into stew. Cook until stew thickens. Salt to taste. Garnish
with parsley and serve hot with baking powder biscuits.
Kentucky Derby Pie
For dessert, come down the stretch with this rich traditional treat!
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. chopped pecans
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla
6 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate morsels
One 9-inch deep dish pie shell, unbaked
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix all ingredients and pour into pie
shell. Bake for 10 minutes and reduce heat to 350 degrees for 35
minutes more. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Bourbon Balls
You can never have enough bourbon flavored items at a Derby party! (These are great
holiday treats for your party guest, so they will begin craving the next years
party.)
1 box powdered sugar
1/4 lb. butter, melted (or a teenie bit less)
1/3 cup Bourbon Whiskey
1 cup pecans (whole)
4-5 squares chocolate
2 teaspoons paraffin
Mix sugar, butter and Bourbon together and make into balls. Chill overnight. Dip balls
into melted chocolate and paraffin, adding whole pecan to the top of each candy before
chocolate sets.
Party Tips
No party is complete without betting on the horses.
Click here for ideas on simple (as
well as legal) ways to run some betting games at your home!
In addition to our software consider
.
having all your guest wear a wild hat
This theme works for the elegant event as well as the infield-type crazy party!
having all guest where silks
While most of your guest will probably not fit into jockey silks, most will
have a favorite silk shirt. This is guaranteed to add color and style to your party!
prepare a trivia game while waiting for post time
Go to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum sites to get information.
help everyone sing along
Print copies of the lyrics to My Old Kentucky Home along with the days
menu and a statement of appreciation for your guests. Guests can keep this as a souvenir
of the day.
MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME
By Stephen Foster
The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home,
Tis summer, the people are gay;
The corn-top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor
All merry, all happy and bright;
By'n by hard times comes a knocking at the door
Then my old Kentucky home, Good-night!
Weep no more my lady. Oh! Weep no more today!
We will sing one song for my old Kentucky home
For the old Kentucky home, far away.
|