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Toast the Winners of Each Leg of the Triple Crown (Even Though Zenyatta Will Probably Leave Them All in the Dust)
The last days of summer are not too early to make some party plans for Breeders' Cup weekend, currently scheduled to be held on November 5-6, 2010, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the fabled Kentucky Derby. Now that Churchill has added lights, there need be no fear that the Classic will be run in the dark.
This is the seventh time that Churchill will host the Breeders' Cup. The races will be televised on both ESPN and ABC.
Whether you elect to watch the races in person, at home, or at a local sports venue, dreaming up some kind of gathering with friends seems in order.
This seems like a good opportunity to offer your guests a choice of drinks dedicated to the winners of the Triple Crown races, and one dedicated to the incomparable Zenyatta, who will probably make mincemeat of all her competitors yet again. Zenyatta's race record currently stands at 19 straight wins, with no end in sight.
Kentucky has many charms of its own. Louisville offers Southern charm combined with a Midwestern work ethic and an unpretentious quality. People work hard, live simply, and honor their pioneering ancestors. And when they play, their play is rooted in America's agrarian past, when a Saturday spent matching their horses against each other was just good fun. After all, dirt racing supposedly got its start when folks ran their horses in the muddy streets of town.
What to serve your guests in terms of food options will be the topic of another story. But for now, a selection of toppings for a bowl of long-simmered burgoo, or perhaps plates of 'hot brown', should suffice. Burgoo is a kind of mulligan stew, usually using shredded pork or mutton rather than ground or cubed meat. It is akin to chili in that the selection of spices and other ingredients is a matter of family tradition and availability. It may be served on a roll or on top of mashed potatoes. A 'hot brown' is a plate of turkey served with cheese sauce and bacon, on top of two slices of toast, and broiled for five minutes.
So without further ado, let us roll out the drink recipes.
The three different winners of each leg of the Triple Crown are still on track to face each other in the Breeders' Cup Classic. First off is a drink dedicated to Super Saver, the winner of the 2010 Kentucky Derby, in the form of the traditional mint julep. The bourbon MUST be Kentucky bourbon. This is not negotiable.
MINT JULEP
8 medium-sized Mint sprigs (for 8 servings)
1 and 1/2 oz. Kentucky Bourbon
1 and 1/2 tbs. Simple Syrup
1/4 tsp. Bitters
While the highball or collins glasses chill, blend the ingredients in blender on high. Strain into glasses filled with shaved ice. Add more bourbon to saturate the ice. Garnish with sprigs of mint. It is traditional to be satisfied with just one or two of these, so let's not be piggy.
Next is the traditional drink for the Preakness Stakes, called the Black Eyed Susan for the flowers in the blanket presented to the winner. We will dedicate this one to Lookin at Lucky.
BLACK EYED SUSAN
(official cocktail of the Preakness)
Equal parts Orange Juice and Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Sugar
1 oz. Bourbon
Pour over crushed ice.
Next up is The Belmont, a cocktail dedicated to Drosselmeyer, winner of the Belmont Stakes last June.
THE BELMONT
1 shot Dark Rum
1 shot Vodka
2 shots Light Rum
1 shot Orange Juice
Blend with ice. Serve in a highball glass; garnish with carrot. May use a collins glass if the carrot stick is long.
A FURLONG TOO LATE
2 oz. Light Rum
1 Lemon Twist, for the sour taste of a losing ticket
Top off with Ginger Ale
Pour rum and ginger ale into a highball glass will plenty of ice cubes. Stir well. Garnish with lemon twist. Takes the sting out of losing.
THE JOCKEY CLUB COCKTAIL
(served in a short whiskey sour glass)
1 and 1/2 oz. Gin, for Go For Gin, a darn good horse who won the Derby
Juice of a Quarter Lemon, for the rotten ride your jockey gave your horse
One Quarter tsp. White Crème de Cacao
1 dash Bitters, for obvious reasons
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.
In honor of the host state and track, and in light of the colder weather the fans will likely endure, we present the following option.
KENTUCKY HOT CHOCOLATE
1 and 1/2 oz. Kentucky Bourbon
4 oz. Hot Cocoa
One Half oz. Brown Crème de Cacao
OR 1 oz. Kahlua OR Peppermint Schnapps
Whipped Cream
Pour all ingredients except the Whipped Cream into an Irish Coffee glass. Stir well. Float some whipped cream on top of the drink. Dust with cocoa powder.
I think that a drink dedicated to the incomparable Zenyatta is in order. She may well make history with a repeat victory in the Classic against the best males of the year. The amaretto is for the California almond industry, and the peppermint schnapps is for her closing kick!
THE ZENYATTA
1 oz. Amaretto
4 oz. Ginger Ale
1 oz. Run, I mean Rum
1 oz. Coffee Liqueur
1 oz. Peppermint Schnapps
Mix all ingredients in highball glass, but add the Ginger Ale last to allow for a proper fizz.
A search yields other drinks that share names with famous racehorses. Let's have a little fun with them.
THE WHIRLAWAY
Scant dash of Angostura Bitters
1 oz. Blue Curacao
1 and 1/2 oz. Kentucky Bourbon
Fill with Club Soda
Fill highball glass with cracked ice. Add first three ingredients and top off with the Club Soda.
And finally, our last recipe --
THE VIRGIN MARTINI
(for the non-drinkers in your party)
In a martini glass, place one olive. Enjoy.
You may also enjoy the following related articles by other authors:
Original Hot Brown recipe can be downloaded at AllRecipes: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/original-hot-brown/Detail.aspx
Humorous article on the tradition of the Mint Julep: http://www.io.com/gibbonsb/juleps.html
