While Southerners never really need a reason to host, the Kentucky Derby provides the perfect excuse to dust off your best Mardi Gras hats and invite your friends over for a day of good food, drinks and some friendly competition. Here are some of our favorite derby party tips and recipes so you can celebrate “the most exciting two minutes in sports” in style.
Kentucky Derby Party Hosting Tips
SET THE TONE
Send invites (either paper or email) with an equestrian theme. Be sure to specify attire: Your best Derby dresses and hats encouraged!
EQUINE IT UP
Add horsey touches to your table — think bits, leather, vintage riding helmets or even boots turned into vases. Easy tip: Buy plastic horses from the dollar or toy store and spray-paint them gold, then tuck them amongst your bar offerings or around the buffet.
LET THE BLUEGRASS STATE INSPIRE THE MENU
We ooked to Louisville to inspire our Derby menu, including Benedictine spread, Kentucky hot brown sandwiches and plenty of the Bluegrass State’s famous bourbon. Some chocolate and pecans nicely finish the day.
MAKE IT FUN
Set up a betting board or have a prize for the best hat or best dressed. Let the winners take home the centerpiece.
PLACE YOUR BETS
Not the betting kind? Turn rosette ribbons from Amazon into name badges bearing the name of each horse set to run. Pass out to your guests upon arrival to wear on their lapel, and that will be their horse for the race. Assign prizes for win, place and show.
RAISE THE BAR
The mint julep has been an official part of the Kentucky Derby since the 1930s, but it is said that Churchill Downs planted mint outside the clubhouse for their juleps as far back as 1875. Juleps were certainly an important part of race day when Prohibition began in 1920, as the newspapers at the time lamented their absence. Start collecting vintage julep cups from local antique stores to elevate your bar, or pick up a sleeve of plastic ones online in a pinch.
MAKE THE MOST OF TECHNOLOGY
With smart TVs, bluetooth speakers and even projectors and outdoor screens, there is no reason you can’t easily take the Derby outside. Just test your setup ahead of post time to avoid tech glitches.
JOIN THE SONG
Every Derby begins at Churchill Downs with the crowd on their feet singing “My Old Kentucky Home.” Those of us in south Alabama, however, would be hard-pressed to chime in. Print the lyrics on small cards, and share with all your guests so they can join in on the chorus with gusto.
“The sun shines bright
in the old Kentucky home,
‘Tis summer,
The People are gay;
the corn-top’s ripe
And the meadow’s in the bloom
While the birds make music
All the day.“
Kentucky Derby Party Recipes
Mint Julep
MAKES 1
Ingredients
2 ounces Kentucky straight whiskey
1/4 ounce mint simple syrup*
crushed ice
sprig fresh mint, for garnish
Directions
Pour whiskey and simple syrup over crushed ice in silver julep cup and garnish with fresh mint sprig.
*Mint Simple Syrup
Combine 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves. Boil for one minute, then remove from heat and let cool. Strain the mint leaves out and discard. Store syrup in a glass jar in the fridge until use.
Hot Brown Sliders
Louisville’s Brown Hotel drew over 1,200 guests each evening throughout the 1920s for its famous dinner dances. By the wee hours of the morning, guests would grow weary of dancing and make their way to the restaurant for a bite to eat. Chef Fred Schmidt created an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and a delicate Mornay sauce to tempt tired partygoers, and hot brown history was made!
MAKES 24 MINI SANDWICHES
Ingredients
2 ounces unsalted butter
2 ounces all-purpose flour
8 ounces heavy cream
8 ounces whole milk
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
pinch of ground nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
12 slices thick-sliced brioche bread
14 ounces sliced roasted turkey breast
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
8 slices crispy bacon, cut into three pieces
paprika and diced parsley, for garnish
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a two‑quart saucepan, melt butter over medium‑low heat and slowly whisk in flour until well combined. Cook for two minutes, stirring frequently. Add cream and milk to the mixture and whisk over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer, about 2 ‑ 3 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in Pecorino Romano cheese until the Mornay sauce is smooth. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Remove crusts from bread and slice in half to form 2 rectangles. (There will be 24 rectangles in all). Arrange bread on a cookie sheet and toast until slightly golden and crisp. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Fold one slice of turkey in half and then in half again to form a rectangle about the size of the toast. Lay on top of one toast and repeat until all toasts have a folded slice of turkey. Add a tomato slice to each and then 1 tablespoon Mornay sauce. Sprinkle additional cheese on top of Mornay and then top with one piece of bacon. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes, or just until the sauce is slightly bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with paprika, top with parsley and serve immediately.
Benedictine Tea Sandwiches
Louisville caterer Jennie Carter Benedict invented this cucumber spread in the late 1800s and served it on sandwiches in the restaurant she opened in 1893. She catered all the best parties and weddings in Louisville, and her Derby menus were a must. Benedictine spread is also delicious served as a dip with raw vegetables and makes an elegant presentation when served on a leaf of endive.
SERVES 12
Ingredients
1 large cucumber
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons grated onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
pinch of cayenne pepper
green food coloring (optional)
loaf of miniature pumpernickel bread
optional garnishes: sliced cucumber or radish, chopped parsley
Directions
1. Peel and grate cucumber and then squeeze out excess moisture. Add to a food processor with remaining ingredients (except the bread and garnishes) and combine until food coloring is evenly distributed. Refrigerate until use.
2. Use a small round cookie cutter to make circles out of bread slices. Top each slice with a small amount of cucumber spread and garnish as desired.
Pecan Chocolate Chip Bars
MAKES 24 BARS
Ingredients
1 cup chopped pecans
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans in a pie plate and toast for a few minutes, until golden. Set aside to cool.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and oil with the granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and then add to the mixer at low speed. Add the chocolate chips and pecans and mix on low just until incorporated.
3. Line bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Turn dough out into pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool completely before slicing.
