Derby

Kentucky Derby Bourbon Bar Cart

~ Bill Thornley ~ 1 Comment

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It’s only a few days until the 2017 Kentucky Derby. We’ve sent out the invitations, planned the centerpieces, and started cooking (well – I can’t really take any credit – it all goes to Lynn). I have my Woodford Reserve “Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby” special edition bottle for mint juleps. I’m about ready to go. What’s left? Stocking the bar for those who want to do a little Derby Day bourbon tasting or drink their bourbon neat!

I would suggest you have some horse racing themed bottles for those guests to try. There are some incredible bourbons with equestrian themed names, and graphics. In past blogs I have shown you the Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby bottles, the Maker’s Mark American Pharoah bottle, and the Calumet bottle.

You must have a bottle of Blanton’s, the originals single barrel bourbon. It is a beautiful bottle with a horse and jockey stopper. These iconic stoppers are the different strides gate of the horse from standing to a full run. Each horse & stopper has a letter that spells out the name Blanton’s so there are 8 different stoppers.

I just got a bottle of Pinhook bourbon. Anyone familiar with racing knows the term pinhooking. It is an old Southern term for the purchase of very young thoroughbreds to be resold at a profit.   The best Pinhookers are speculators, with horse racing experience, and a deep knowledge of lineage. Each release is dedicated to a specific racehorse from Bourbon Lane Stable in Versailles, Kentucky. Great story, and impressive graphics. A friend gave me a bottle from Long Meadow Wine & Liquors in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Calumet Farm is one of the great old storied Kentucky Horse Farms. In 1924 William Monroe Wright, entrepreneur and owner of Calumet Baking Powder Company established a beautiful horse farm in Lexington, Kentucky in the heart of the Bluegrass. He went on to become one the most successful breeders and owners of thoroughbreds in the world. Calumet has eight Kentucky Derby Winners and 2 Triple Crown winners.  The Calumet bourbon bottle is an eye pleasing shape with a graphic of the steeple from their barns on the front of it.

Last but not least, pictured is the 2016 and 2017 Kentucky Derby Woodford Reserve bottles with art by Thomas Allen Pauly. Pauly is the first artist to do 2 Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby bottles and he got them back to back. It is an outstanding bourbon with a history as rich as the Kentucky Derby. These bottles look good on the bar, on as the centerpiece on your table.

One bottle I don’t have is the Orphan Barrel “Gifted Horse.” This is another good tasting and good looking bottle from Orphan Barrel. Gifted Horse is the result of some 17-year-old Stitzel-Weller Distillery bourbon accidentally mixed with some younger bourbon. One their website they say, “Our gaffe is your gift.” They have it in stock at Hi-Time Wine in Costa Mesa, CA – I may be taking a trip there this week!

There are more equestrian themed bourbons. Black Saddle is another interesting choice for your bar. It was recommended to me at our local BevMo store and I have enjoyed it. Chestnut Farms Bourbon is another good choice. It hails from Barton 1792 Distillery with a product inside as impressive as the horse on the outside.

No matter what you have on your bar Derby Day your guests will have a great time. Let’s all toast to 2 great Kentucky traditions — Bourbon and the Kentucky Derby. Oh, yes, and the hats, all the incredible Kentucky Derby hats.

My bourbon bottle is empty!

~ Bill Thornley ~ Leave a comment

Or an alternative title is how to decorate with bourbon bottles! My wife, Lynn, got the idea a few months ago to use empty bourbon bottles to decorate at our Derby Party last weekend. As you can see by the pictures below, they make the perfect centerpiece for a party that revolves around Mint Juleps and the Kentucky Derby.

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Our backyard set up for last weekend’s Derby Party

Lynn did some research online looking for ideas on how to use them. She spent a morning at the LA Flower Mart to find the tablecloths and wood rounds that served as the bases. She coupled those with red roses in our silver julep cups. Taylor added the bougainvillea and we had the perfect centerpiece for the Kentucky Derby!

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An empty Basil Hayden’s bottle put to a new use

If you don’t throw parties and want to recycle your empty bottles to buy more bourbon, try eBay. Empty Pappy Van Winkle bottles have sold on eBay for over $200. In a recent auction, a set of 15-20-23 sold for $599.00. A 20-year-old Orphan Barrel Barterhouse bottle sold for $12.00. You can watch and see many of the empty higher priced bourbon bottles sell from a $1.00 to $25 over $100.00. Everybody collects something. And if you are just looking for some unique bottles to decorate with, eBay is a great place to scan for bargains.

You can also use empty bottles to decorate the back of a bar, or even as soap dispensers. With the breadth of ideas you see on Etsy  and Pinterest these days you can find a lot of ideas to use that empty bottle. At the very least, recycle it so someone can make a new use out of the bourbon bottle!

A Bourbon Adventure for Maker’s Mark

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We are in final preparation mode for our Derby party tomorrow. I had to share a little story about efforts to track down a bottle of Maker’s Mark’s limited edition American Pharaoh bottle that I wrote about a couple weeks ago. I had visited both Hi-Time Wine Cellars and BevMo here in Orange County searching for a bottle. Having seen American Pharaoh win the triple crown last year and being a big horse racing fan, I really wanted a bottle – and I really wanted one to display on the bar at tomorrow’s party. Unfortunately both Hi-Time and BevMo hadn’t received any and it sounded like they didn’t think they would be.

In my search I learned that stores in California might not even be receiving any, but that they were on shelves in the East. So, naturally, I called my daughter, who lives in Richmond, Virginia. I asked her if she could check out her local ABC store (state controlled liquor stores in Virginia… boo) and see if they had any or thought they would be getting any. Taylor called two stores and both said they hadn’t received any. She then swung by the store at the ABC warehouse in Richmond. While they hadn’t received any, they offered to do an inventory search for her. The closest store that had any was in Hopewell, Virginia, about 35 minutes away. For some reason, they had received 12! And every other store in Richmond, zero. So, Taylor took off for Hopewell and snagged a bottle just in time to bring it out to California for me for the Derby party.

Below is the photo and text message I received from Taylor when she got home:

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“Who’s your favorite child now? Drove all the way to Hopewell to get you that bad boy”

Last night we checked out what these bottles are going for on eBay. Most it looks like are selling for about twice the shelf price. Taylor now wishes she bought all 12 bottles!

If you’re in the hunt for one of these, good luck! I struck out in Orange County. Curious if anywhere in Southern California has received some? Happy early-Derby Day!

Bourbon Drink: Bourbon Bill’s Mint Julep Recipe

~ Bill Thornley ~ 4 Comments

Naturally, Mint Juleps are a huge hit at our annual Kentucky Derby party. With the derby just a little over a week away, I thought it was the perfect time to share my mint julep recipe with you. There are many variations on the mint julep recipe. Traditionalists generally vary between using simple syrup, powdered sugar, or even granulated sugar. And lately restaurants have been mixing it up even more adding things like peach puree. I’ve tried all sorts of variations and have found simple syrup to be the best.

To start, you need to start with a good bourbon. Because the main and essential ingredient in a mint julep is the bourbon you want to use a bourbon with a taste you really like. Last weekend we made ours with Woodford Reserve. I have to be honest, at our Derby party we use Evan Williams – when you’re serving so many people it just makes the most sense.

To get ready for the party, and the onslaught of thirsty attendees, we make a huge batch of simple syrup a couple days before. To make simple syrup you just boil equal parts sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. [TIP: Because the bar gets busy at our party and to save time, I infuse the simple syrup with mint rather than having to muddle mind in every single mint julep made at the party. Simply add a healthy dose of mint leaves to our warm simple syrup mixture and let steep until the syrup has cooled, then discard the mint leaves.] Then let the simple syrup cool on the kitchen counter and then transfer it to a container to refrigerate until party day.

The julep glass is another important component! That could be a Kentucky Derby glass like the one pictured below  (this year’s glasses arrived a couple days ago to our house), or you could use a traditional silver Julep Cup.

Bourbon Bill’s Mint Julep Recipe

  1. Fill a glass full with crushed ice (If you haven’t infused your simple syrup with mint you need to muddle mint in your glass before putting ice in the glass)
  2. Pour in 1 ounce of simple syrup
  3. Pour in 2 ounces of bourbon
  4. Add a splash of good water & mix
  5. Garnish with a mint sprig
  6. Add 2 tall thin straws and enjoy!

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Make yourself a Mint Julep and remember to bet the gray!