How to Make the Official 2020 $1,000 Kentucky Derby Mint Julep. Hint: It Uses the Official Fruit of Kentucky

Woodford Reserve Distillery - How to Make the 2020 $1,000 Mint Julep - Diane Crump Blackberry Mint Julep

When it comes to The Kentucky Derby there are all kinds of fans. For many it’s about studying the racing form to pick out the horse(s) that are going to win the big race. For many it’s about the pageantry of the day and seeing what everyone is wearing this year. For others it’s about the bourbon and mint juleps.

If you are a fan of the Mint Julep Cocktail then you are in luck. We’ve got the complete recipe for the 2020 Kentucky Derby Mint Julep. We can’t tell you who’s going to win this year’s race but we can tell you now to make a Mint Julep. This year’s cocktail features Blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis), the official fruit of Kentucky.

Woodford Reserve Distillery - Diane Crump was the 1st Female Jockey to Run in the Kentucky Derby — In 1970 Diane Crump was the first female jockey to ride in The Kentucky Derby.

Diane Crump Blackberry Mint Julep

Ingredients

2 oz. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon
1 barspoon Blackberry Preserves
1 barspoon Simple Syrup
Mint Bitters
Fresh Blackberries and Mint Sprigs, for garnish
Crushed Ice

Instructions

At the bottom of the julep cup mix 1 bar spoon of blackberry preserves and 1 bar spoon of simple syrup.
Add 2 – 4 dashes of mint bitters.
Fill two-thirds of cup with crushed ice.
Add sipping straw and Woodford Reserve Bourbon.
Top off cup with more crushed ice (packed in).
Top with fresh blackberries and a sprig of mint to garnish.
Put the mint near the straw, so the smell enhances each sip.

Enjoy!

Woodford Reserve Distillery - 2020 Gold Woodford Reserve Bourbon Mint Julep Cup

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Diane Crump: A Horse-Racing Pioneer’s Life in the Saddle

This book is a story of a pioneer. A rule breaker. In 1968, a few women, mockingly labeled “jockettes” by a skeptical press, had begun demanding the right to apply for jockey licenses, citing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination in hiring based on race, religion, sex, or national origin. Most of their applications were rejected by racing’s bureaucracy, which alleged that women were unqualified to participate due to “physical limitations” and “emotional instability.” Female jockeys who attempted to ride met with boycotts by male jockeys.

That all changed in 1969 when a 20-year-old Diane Crump, who had long since demonstrated her riding proficiency during a thousand workout rides on a thousand difficult Thoroughbreds. On February 7, 1969, having been granted a permit to ride at Florida’s Hialeah Racetrack, Crump, surrounded by a protective phalanx of police officers, walked calmly toward the saddling enclosure as she endured heckles from the crowd. Just over a year later, on May 2, 1970, after 95 years and 1,055 all-male entrants, Diane Crump shattered tradition by becoming the first woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby. She didn’t win that day but she did on 235 other days. You can learn more about Diane Crump: A Horse-Racing Pioneer’s Life in the Saddle book here.

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