Patch Recipes: Mint Julep

Our nation's oldest uninterrupted annual sporting event will take place tomorrow, Saturday, May 4, for the 139th time in Louisville, Ky. It is an event filled with traditions, including one strong alcoholic beverage. The actual Kentucky Derby (often just called the "Derby") only lasts about two minutes , but the buildup to the big race is a day-long event of other races, parties and at least a little bit of gambling.

More than 150,000 people will be at Churchill Downs to watch the nation's (and sometimes the world's) top 3-year-old horses run around the track for a mile and a quarter. Millions more will watch the race on television. Thoroughbred horse racing has not been a popular sport in this country for several decades, but the Derby still draws big interest .

While the top jockeys, trainers, breeders and owners have many chances to win the Derby, the actual athlete running the race only has one. The Derby is restricted to 3-year-olds, and all horse's birthdays are considered to be Jan. 1, so there is no way of getting around this rule. Running in the race is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, making a victory even more meaningful.

The winning horse is covered with a blanket of roses and earns the opportunity that none of his (occasionally "her") opponents have. If the Derby winner can repeat the result two weeks later at the Preakness Stakes  in Maryland and three weeks after that at the Belmont Stakes  in New York, he will enter horse racing immortality as a Triple Crown winner . Only 11 thoroughbreds have won the Triple Crown, with the most recent being Affirmed in 1978 .

Among the most famous traditions in the Derby are the wearing of large, fancy and often elaborate hats by female spectators, the University of Louisville marching band's performance of "My Old Kentucky Home"  as the horses walk onto the track and the (hopefully moderate) consumption of mint juleps.

The mint julep is even older than the derby. And let's be clear, this is not a drink for the weak. Just one serving is probably enough to kick it up a notch ... or two for the rest of the day. Be sure to have a designated driver before you start drinking. 

Mint Julep

(from the official Kentucky Derby website, www.kentuckyderby.com)

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• Sprigs of fresh mint
• Crushed ice
• Early Times Kentucky Whisky (as you might guess, that's a sponsor, in actuality any bourbon or whisky will do)
• Silver Julep Cups (if you can find them, that's great, if not, it won't ruin the drink)

Directions

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 whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.