The air is thick. The smell of hay and the warm hum of the crowd is stimulating. Peering over the stands, seeing all the people dressed in their bright boisterous spring best is like the breathtaking view of the sea of flowers stretching as far as the eye can see in the Washington Tulip Festival. As the start time gets closer the energy continues to rise, like watching technicolored molecules bump and shake faster and faster under a microscope as heat rises. Sticky-sweet is the feel at this affair. The type that keeps you hunkered down craving more even though each taste comes and goes so quickly. Something cold and refreshing yet boozy enough to keep your conscience at bay is needed as the bets fly in and you clutch your ticket even harder. The bell rings, and they're off!...
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| American Pharoah (the horse) |
In celebration of the recent Kentucky Derby, a twist on the long time classic cocktail of this historic race needed to be made. The Mint Julep is still the cocktail that comes to the mind of every mixologist, horse race buff and historian when they think of the Kentucky Derby. In honor of the winning horse, "American Pharoah", we decided to bring together the deep soul of America and Kentucky with the herbs and spices known to be used throughout the centuries in Egypt. When the subtle sweetness of honey and Kentucky bourbon swizzle together with the aromatic, bitter and medicinal properties of the spice trio we used, an almost transcendental experience ensues. Many countries throughout the world in history have created their own version of this elixir combining honey, alcohol and a slew of different spices that became the hallmark drink of their culture. This week's cocktail belongs to American Pharoah.
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| American Pharoah (the cocktail) |
2 oz Blanton's Bourbon
1/2 oz spice trio honey syrup*
6 leaves of fresh mint
6 leaves of fresh basil
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Method:
Put syrup, mint and basil into a silver or pewter mug. Muddle. Fill mug with pellet ice. Add bourbon.
Spice trio honey syrup:
1 tbsp whole caraway seeds
1 tsp whole fennel seeds
5 whole star anise
1 cup of water
1/2 cup honey
Method:
Place spices and water in a small sauce pan. Simmer on low until water is reduced to half. Take off the heat and add honey. Stir and let sit until cool. Strain out spices.
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| Stephen Foster |
What better song to accompany a 141 year old tradition along with a classic drink than a song that shares just as much history and spirit as the game itself? Written in 1850 by Stephen Foster, sung by everyone from the Camptown ladies, to Johnny Cash, to Looney Tune's Foghorn Leghorn, this song embodies the true grit that was the illegal pastime of the era. Listening to the song you can imagine a 5 mile long treacherous muddy road in an old time north eastern United States town with all the peril and woe. The horses falling into pot holes, cows wandering onto the road, yet like the engine of a speeding train, the horses just mow them down. You can almost see the ol' boys coming down to try to make some quick cash, from arriving "with my hat caved in" to leaving "with a pocket full of tin." It's a light hearted romp that'll be best listened to while sipping from the stainless steel straw in a rich, ice cold, American Pharoah, with all it's depth and wealth of history brought together in one cup.
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| 1700s horse race |
Horse Racing has a rich history reaching back to the early colonists who viewed these four-legged contests as a practical test of their horses' power and fitness. Early Quakers morally opposed the wagering that tended to run along with the challenge races, but they offered no objections to racing itself. Throughout the 1700s and early 1800s, racing was a spectacle open to all. Though the races were also problematic if you happened to be walking in front of a couple of thundering steeds. In 1817, for safety's sake, the state legislature in Pennsylvania forbid racing on public roads. To discourage gambling, the same law also banned racing in front of groups of fifteen or more. Still, as long as there were horses to race, men found ways to race them. Eventually the legislature finally conceded the obvious - racing was too popular to outlaw - and modified the old law to allow racing for prize money at fairs and driving parks.
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| Modern horse race |
The Kentucky Derby is an annual horse race held in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is known in the United States as "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" for its approximate duration, and is also called "The Run for the Roses" for the blanket of roses draped over the winner. It is the first leg of the American Triple Crown and is followed by the Preakness Stakes, then the Belmont Stakes. Unlike the Preakness and Belmonth Stalkes, which took a hiatus in 1891-1893 and 1911-1912, respectively, the Kentucky Derby has been run every consecutive year since 1875. A horse must win all three races to win the Triple Crown.
Mint Julep
This delectable cocktail first appeared in print in 1803 described as a "dram of spirituous liquor that has mint in it, taken by Virginians in the morning." Some historians say Mint Julep was born in the early 1700s somewhere in the east coast. According to the Derby Museum, Mint Julep became Churchill Down's (the land where the Kentucky Derby is held) signature drink in 1938 when they started to serve the drink in sourvenir glasses for 75 cents a drink. Today, Kentucky Derby serves more than 80,000 juleps over the two-day event. The first Mint Juleps weren't perhaps mixed with Bourbon, some historians say, rather with rye whiskey or rum or other available spirits. Mint Julep's popularity came to rest in the agricultural regions of the east and southeast, where farmers awakened at dawn. Chris Morris from Woodford Reserve Bourbon says "the julep was originally a morning drink as the spirited equivalent of coffee in today's society. One sip and Pow! The farmers were ready to face the long day."
Blanton's
Blanton's Bourbon is a nearly century old product that was made to be the worlds first single barrel bourbon. Colonel Albert B. Blanton believed the "center-cut" or middle sections of warehouse H were the best for aging his bourbon. Personally tasting and choosing each barrel, these barrels were reserved and bottled for ambassadors, dignitaries, family and friends. The bottle so felicitously adorns the horse and jockey which are now a recognized trademark of Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon. The rich heritage and tradition of horses in Kentucky, parallel that of bourbon. The set features a horse and jockey in different strides and poses resembling the stages of a horse race. Each stopper is marked with a single letter that spells Blanton's when the set has been completed.
Saddle up and enjoy this one for the next two legs of the Triple Crown!
Drink Responsibly and don't bet everything you have.
Cheers!
Henry & Jehiah
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| We got an 'A' on this post! |
