Derby party goodies

My roommate and I are thinking about having a Derby party. We're thinking of serving appetizers and easy to handle things. And of course we have to figure out how to make good mint juleps. Any ideas? Probably around 10 people.

And of course we have to figure out how to make good mint juleps.

Mint Juleps

good whiskey
mint
simple syrup (water & sugar combined and boiled)
carbonated water

Put mint in glass
squish it with a muddler (whatever that is)
put in shaved ice
put in simple syrup and carbonated water.

Throw out this mess

drink whiskey ...

There is no such thing as a good mint julep.

i don't think it officially qualifies as a mint julep unless you're making it with Bourbon... not just any whiskey.

...back to sipping my bourbon.

i don't think it officially qualifies as a mint julep unless you're making it with Bourbon... not just any whiskey.

Churchill Downs is the only place that sells a lot of mint juleps. They use Early Times which is not a bourbon. They do use Woodford Reserve, another Brown Forman product, for the $1000 juleps they sell for charitable purposes.

Most printed recipes probably call for bourbon, however.

Here's a recipe that is fairly easy to make and will produce an enjoyable mint julep:

Bourbon of choice (according to budget): Old Forester, Makers Mark, Woodford, Pappy Van Winkle 20

Mint simple syrup
Orange squeeze
Soda

Place ingredients in shaker and pass between the shaker and the glass a couple times. Never shake drinks with soda in them.
To serve up in a martini glass, place first three items in shaker and shake. Strain into glass and splash with the soda.

The problem with the classic julep is that bourbon and mint don't play well together. Orange works well with both ingredients and acts as a flavor bridge, so to speak.

Sarah Fritschner(ex C-J Food Editor) put out a cookbook called "Derby Start To Finish" last year and it is full of easy to follow, mostly traditional recipes for any Derby Bash.

You should be able to find it at most local bookstores...

Becky,

As previously suggested, Sarah F.'s cookbook is very good and includes concepts for feeding Derby house-guests, along with "event" foods. Her Pork Loin with spices is one of our "go-to" recipes for something easy to feed a crowd

I have a number of things to suggest if I know a few things about your party plans: What level of difficulty are you looking for? Are you hosting the part in lieu of attending Derby or after you get back? And are you looking for sit-down or buffet- type recipes?

Deb

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This is an alternative to going to the Derby, but we are dressing up. Looking for something not too difficult, though we're both pretty good cooks for the most part. More of a buffet style

Becky,

The Hot Brown quiche recipe I posted a while back would be excellent for your kind of party; it can be served at room temp or warm so it's great on a buffet.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/hotbytes/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1810

I'll look thru some of my other recipes for other suggestions....

Deb

Love this Country Ham Spread made with local Broadbent Country ham; Recipe comes from Nancy Russman at JCTC.
Very easy and flavorful. I serve it with stone ground wheat crackers. Recipe comes from Nancy Russman at JCTC.

Country Ham Spread


Ingredients

• 2 C. Country ham, cooked* and shredded
• ¼ C. Celery, fine dice
• ¼ C. Green onion, fine dice
• ¼ C. Pecans, small chop
• Enough to cover, about ½ C., Mayonnaise
Directions

1. Combine all ingredients
2. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use

*Country ham must be cooked
before it is shredded. It can be pan sautéed until cooked throughout.

This one is hot off the presses...

Bourbon
Strawberry Glaze (same stuff used to make strawberry shortcake)
2 Lemon squeezes
Mulled Mint
Soda

Rhubarb Garnish

This one just won the 4 roses mint julep contest...

4 Roses Single Batch
Sweet Mint Tea
Splash Roobios Spiced Chai Tea 'Essense'- 5x the normal portion of tea to water
Spearmint
Thai Basil

Mull the mint and basil in a boston shaker. Add the additional ingredients, strain into chipped ice filled 'tulip' or 'hurricane' glass.

Optional Garnishes:

1) Pulverize equal parts chocolate and traditional starlight mints in a food processor (or mortar and pestle.) Dip the lip of the glass in water and then in the mint powder. Brulee the rim with a brulee torch. Repeat until the mint runs down the glass. It should look like the wax on a candle.

2) Wrap dry ice pieces with cheesecloth and tie into a pouch with butcher's twine. Cut away any excess cheesecloth and twine. Drop in the bottom of the glass before adding the chipped ice. This will produce the safest smoking cocktail I know how to make.

[Robin Garr]

This one just won the 4 roses mint julep contest...

Speaking as one of the judges ... this was an excellent julep, one of my top four in the field of 11. The various mint flavors were subtle and contributed to an excellent overall complex mint aroma. My only objection was that it was perhaps the sweetest julep of the bunch.

I stumbled across this video showing how to make a Mint Julep.....
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Making-a-Mi ... etail.aspx