Julep-drinkin' days are here again

In case you didn't know, the 134th Kentucky Derby will take place tomorrow. What's horse racing gotta do with eatin' or drinkin'? Well ...

One time I've been to the Kentucky Derby. It was 1998, and I went as a guest of a married couple who'd somehow procured tickets. I got dressed in my best suit (charcoal gray); I snapped my best suspenders into my trousers; and we drove off for Louisville.

My friends and I didn't watch that race in an area populated by fellow well-dressed souls; we were in a kind of "general admission" area with a bunch of rednecky fools. I watched the race -- Real Quiet was the winner -- and I guess I had a pretty good time. When I left Churchill Downs, however, I swore I'd never go back until I could get me a seat somewhere near the Twin Spires. (I ain't been back.)

One of the few pleasant aspects of my one and only trip to the Kentucky Derby was the drinkin' I was able to do there. I'd never had a mint julep prior to my Derby visit, and I ain't had many since. That said, the four or five mint juleps I downed on the grounds of Churchill Downs (say that five times in quick succession) were some of the finest mixed drinks I've ever filtered through my liver.

Now, I didn't know it, but there's actually an official Kentucky Derby recipe for the Mint Julep. It's called the Early Times Mint Julep, because, well, it uses Early Times Kentucky Whiskey. Here 'tis:

Early Times Mint Julep

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint
Crushed ice
Early Times Kentucky Whisky
Silver Julep Cups

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 Early Times Kentucky Whisky.

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

(Now, if you don't have julep cups at home, use something else. I'll be using highball glasses tomorrow.)