First Saturday in May!!

Do you know what the first Saturday in May is? You don't?! Let me enlighten you...it's probably is one of my most favorite days of the year!! It's the day of the "Fastest Two Minutes in Sports" or better known as THE KENTUCKY DERBY!!!

Sorry! I get a little excited about it! As with most girls, I've had a love for horses FOREVER...I horseback rode for about five years from middle school into high school. In 11th grade I had to decide between horseback riding and athletic training...I chose athletic training. To say I regret giving up horseback riding would be a huge understatement. I should've figured out a way to do both and just been super super busy! I won't go all nostalgic on y'all but let's just say I really really miss it...like every day! I keep promising myself that one day I will get back into it, but just for fun and for the enjoyment I got out of it. ONE DAY! {Hopefully sooner rather than later!} So my love of horses has carried over through the years and in college I started watching the Kentucky Derby EVERY year...it coincided with dead days most years and so I would be sitting on my bed studying and watching the Derby from the very first race until the climatic final race! And at the end of the actual Derby race I'd usually have tears streaming down my face! {I'm that girl...sorry, but I am.} My roommates all thought I was nuts, but the sheer happiness always got the best of me, haha!

Fast forward to when I've graduated and am living back in my hometown. My family is always down to throw a party...any reason! My mom and I love hosting and preparing everything! So I decided to throw a Kentucky Derby party! Everyone was instructed to wear their best Derby hat and come ready to pick a pony! The first year my brother was still living close by and we made it the 1st Annual Kentucky Derby, Cinco de Mayo, Herbie's birthday! Since then, we stick to Kentucky Derby...it's just easier and we can stick to certain food and beverages. We weren't fans of the famous Mint Julep so we made the Oaks Lily {which is the drink of the Oaks race which is ran the day before the Derby} it's got Cranberry and Vodka and some other stuff...I'll post the recipe later on...it's delicious! We also make a Bourbon Slush which is also fabulous!!

I still have my saddle and other riding apparel so I use that to decorate the porch and garage. I also have red roses everywhere! I may go a little overboard! The last few years we make pulled pork and coleslaw and some kind of desert. We play washers in the yard and everyone bets on the big race!

This year, I'm going to go a little bit further and use signs and even my pull out my old show ribbons and hang them around. The ladies do not disappoint with their hats at all! The hats are my favorite part of the whole thing! I have several and have been instructed to not buy any new hats this year!  

Now for some recipes!

Oaks Lily

1 oz. GREY GOOSE® Vodka 
1 oz. Sweet and Sour Mix
3 oz. Cranberry Juice
Splash of Triple Sec 
 

Garnish with an orange slice! We make a few gallons of it and use a big drink dispenser. It's best with crushed ice!

Bourbon slush

Makes 3 Quarts

2 ½ cups of tea (2 ½ cups of water and 2 small tea bags)
1 12- ounce can frozen lemonade, thawed
1 6-ounce can frozen orange juice
2 cups Maker’s Mark™ bourbon
1 cup sugar
6 cups water

We make this in a big metal pot the night before and freeze it...The next day just fluff it up and put the pot in a tub of ice to keep it cold. It's super refreshing.

Now for the famed mint julep!

Mint Julep

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

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

So dust off your best derby hats, find your prettiest dress, print out the lyrics to My Old Kentucky Home, place your wagers and have a great time watching the Derby!  Try throwing a derby party this year...it really is a fun time and everyone gets into it! I'll be doing a post once we've had the party with tons of pictures!

xoxo,

SamanthaDiane