Kentucky Derby Favorites

Thinking about the Kentucky Derby puts one in mind of the gorgeous, majestic horses and the beautiful bluegrass pastures. Oh, and of course, ladies in fancy hats! But it also has a rich history behind all the hype of race day. It all began in the late 1800's when the grandson of William Clark (of Lewis & Clark) became very interested in horse racing after visiting Europe. Upon his return to America he expressed an interest in starting a racing club of his own. His uncles, John and Henry Churchill (think Churchill Downs) gave him some land on which to begin his dream of building and hosting horse race events. In 1875, The Jockey Club was born and hosted the first US horse racing event, and the winner was a horse named Aristedes.

Fast forward a bit to the roaring 1920's and the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. It hosted an average of 1200 people on its dinner/dance nights at the hotel. They would serve guests ham and eggs for a late night supper until the chef there, Fred Schmidt decided to make something a bit more upscale. The famous Kentucky Hot Brown was his invention. Consisting of an open faced roasted turkey sandwich with sliced tomatoes, mornay cheese sauce and crispy bacon, it was a crowd pleaser extraordinaire. It soon became a Louisville tradition and a fan favorite on Derby Day!

If you would like to see how to make a fake version of the Hot Brown you can find the video tutorial here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkjfmdgwZMA&t=21s

Another staple of the Derby is a cocktail called a Mint Julep. Kentucky is famous for its bourbon, so when you add a bit of water, sugar and muddled mint leaves, you have the making of a fantastically fresh drink that it perfect for sipping in springtime while munching on finger sandwiches like the ever popular cucumber or strawberry chicken salad. On Derby Day, there is an average of 120,000 mint julep cocktails served. That's a lot of bourbon!