It’s a day of two-minute races and juleps.
To give you an idea of the scale of this operation, the derby will be held on Saturday May 4th, but preparations will begin on May 4th. August last year’s.
“There are a lot of people here working to get everything ready,” Danielson told HuffPost. With an estimated 127,000 mints for Derby Day, he’s not exaggerating since it takes him more than 1,000 workers to prepare his juleps. This premier race is billed as “the fastest two minutes in sports,” but it’s an all-day julep-filled event. Bourbon-infused cocktails are poured right after the gates open at 8 a.m., and people keep drinking until last call at 8:10 p.m.
What it takes to prepare over 127,000 juleps
As a quick refresher: A mint julep is a combination of bourbon, water, fresh mint, sugar, and crushed ice (keep reading for a great julep recipe at the end of the story). To make the Julep, Churchill Downs uses 254,000 ounces of bourbon (or more than 10,000 750-milliliter bottles), 300 boxes of mint (about 4,000 pounds locally sourced from Don Gardens in Louisville, Kentucky), and It uses 60,000 pounds of ice. You probably don’t need that much for your home setup. Nevertheless, Danielson has tips from his nine years in the derby to help you.
find the right bourbon
If you think any type of bourbon is good enough for a mint julep, think again. Woodford Reserve is part of Derby’s signature julep, and Danielson cited several reasons why. “Woodford is a very smooth bourbon,” he told HuffPost. “It has a great flavor and a delicious caramel aroma.” Most importantly, it mixes well with mint and sugar. Other bourbons can be too spicy or too mellow for refreshing spring cocktails.
Make most of your cocktails in advance
When you’re making large quantities of drinks, you want to be able to consistently make delicious drinks at a fast pace. Many recipes (including the classic Woodford Mint Julep recipe below) call for a spoonful of sugar, but when you just want to hang out and have a drink, it’s easy to add sugar behind the bar. Scooping is not very fun.
That’s why Churchill Downs replaces every spoonful of sugar with mint simple syrup. “We make a simple mint syrup by mixing equal parts sugar and water. We bring it to a boil and add the mint. Then we steep it and strain it,” Danielson said. It’s a very easy recipe, so be sure to try it at your derby party.I will explain in more detail about easy syrup making.
Once that’s done, mix a large amount of bourbon with simple syrup and put it in the fridge. Once friends and family arrive, the job becomes much easier. “Remove ice and pour [this boozy mixture] Just throw some decorations on top and you’re literally off to the races, my friend,” Danielson said.
Crushed ice, no substitutes accepted
“Historically, the julep was a symbol of prosperity,” Danielson said. “Ice was a commodity, so when you wanted to entertain people or show yourself in society, you showed people that you had ice.If you had a heap of crushed ice in a glass, You were doing really well.”
Show off your amazing achievements to your friends using crushed ice. Not only does it look great when you want to post your julep on Instagram, but it also gives you the opportunity to eliminate all the frustrations that come with making this drink. If you can’t find crushed ice at a liquor store, you can make it by purchasing a bag of regular ice and crushing it with a hammer. Or just use a high-powered blender.
Handle mint correctly
While it may be tempting to buy fresh mint at the grocery store and store it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, Danielson recommends treating mint with more respect. “Put about an inch of cold water in the bottom of the cup,” he said. “Make sure the stem is in the water.” When you’re ready to serve the cocktail, use a whole sprig of mint with six or seven leaves attached.
A highball glass is best
Yes, there are certainly silver Julep cups available for purchase online and elsewhere, but Danielson said don’t worry if you don’t have time to buy them. “Lean, tall, 8 oz. [highball glass] “It’s the perfect glass for a julep,” he said.
We will introduce two recipes, so please check them out. The first is a recipe provided by Churchill Downs, and the second is an original recipe from Woodford Preserve. cheers!
Danielson’s Mint Julep Recipe (Served at Churchill Downs)
For 1 person
direction
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Pour Woodford Reserve and simple syrup over crushed ice.
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Stir with a spoon.
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Garnish with fresh mint sprigs.
woodford reserve mint julep
For 1 person
direction
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In a copper julep cup, rub two pieces of fresh mint around the cup to squeeze out the oil.
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Add the Woodford Reserve, then stir in the water and sugar with a bar spoon.
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Add crushed ice on top and garnish with 4 mint sprigs.
