Throw a Thoroughbred Kentucky Derby Party
by Jennifer Anderson, Managing Editor of Allrecipes.com
They call it the most exciting two minutes in sports. But the Kentucky Derby is about far more than
just a two-minute horse race. The first Derby was run in 1875, and the race, held every year on the
first Saturday in May, endures as America's longest-running continually held sporting event.
Kentuckians agree that the Derby is one of the year's best reasons to throw a party (second only to
New Year's Eve!). You don't need to be at Churchill Downs for the big event in order to have a rip-roaring Kentucky
Derby party.
Derby parties come in all shapes and sizes. From the high society set, with their black tie soirees,
designer chapeaux and engraved silver goblets, to all the regular folks with their backyard barbeques,
self-styled Derby hats and plastic cups, everyone gets worked into a jubilant frenzy in the days
leading up to the race. Both elegant affairs and rowdy bashes abound on Derby day. All you have to
do is choose your mood and then choose your guest list, food, drink and decor to go with it.
In the Kentucky Kitchen
People will be eating everything from caviar to peanut butter sandwiches on the big day, but there
are a few born-and-bred-in-Kentucky dishes that you'll see on Derby party menus everywhere. The first
is Henry Bain sauce. This sauce is named after its inventor, the head waiter at Louisville's famous
Pendennis Club. He first created it in 1881, and it's been a Louisville tradition ever since. This
sauce is a sweet, tangy, spicy concoction best served over beef tenderloin.
Another cornerstone of Louisville cuisine is the Hot Brown sandwich. Dreamed up by the chef of the
Brown Hotel, this open-faced sandwich has been wavering the convictions of dieters for almost a
century. The sandwich starts off innocently enough with two slices of toast heaped with juicy roast
turkey and tomato slices, but then you add the crispy bacon, followed by a generous blanket of thick
Cheddar and Parmesan cheese sauce. As if that weren't enough to make the drool start collecting on
your chin, the whole thing is then broiled until the sauce is just beginning to turn dark golden brown
on top, then you are free to tuck your napkin into your collar and attack the hot, drippy, gooey
sandwich in any way you see fit.
Derby Desserts
Dessert on Derby day can only be one thing: a rich, dense chocolate pecan pie infused with Kentucky
bourbon. The original version of this pie is heavily trademarked and fiercely protected by its
inventors, but you will find several unofficial versions of it, called anything from Run for the
Roses Pie to Eighth Race Pie to Thoroughbred Pie to just Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie.
Derby Drinks
There is only one proper drink to have at a Kentucky Derby party, and that's the mint julep. A simple
beverage with a complex
tradition, the Mint Julep is made with bourbon (for Derby day, make sure it's Kentucky bourbon!), mint
leaves and sugar, poured over finely crushed ice and topped with a generous sprig of mint. Almost
every state in the South claims to have invented the beverage, and there is endless debate over
whether the mint and sugar should be infused into a simple syrup before being added to the
bourbon, or if the two should rather be muddled together with a silver spoon. The time-honored way to
serve a julep is in a frosty silver goblet, but, of course, not everybody has a set of silver goblets
just hanging around the house waiting to receive a precious cargo of crushed ice and aromatic potables,
so you can serve the beverages in whatever festive containers you like. Whatever your receptacle,
though, an extra-nice touch is to trim straws so they just slightly stick out of the cup. When your
guests sip from the short straws, their noses will be nestled into the mint sprig garnish, greatly
enhancing the deeply refreshing sensory experience.
Don't Forget your Derby Hat
Just as longstanding and important a tradition as the Kentucky Derby itself is that of the Derby hat.
Almost everyone in attendance at the race, or at any Derby party, will be wearing a spectacular hat,
whether that hat was custom-designed by a milliner and cost hundreds of dollars, or whether it was
decorated at home with a glue gun and some imagination. Ask all your guests to come wearing Derby
hats, and inform them there will be prizes for the most ornate, the most stylish, the most creative
and the most bizarre. Alternatively, you could turn hat-decorating into a party activity! Ask
everyone to bring plain hats and a selection of ribbons, real or artificial flowers, lace, tulle,
feathers, plastic horse figurines, and any other hat decorations they can possibly dream up. Provide
glue guns, wire, staplers and scissors, and let the fun begin! Remember, here is no such thing as too
big, too bold, too elaborate or too outlandish.
Here are a few Kentucky-inspired menus to get the Derby party started!
