Is the Woodford Spire more popular than a mint julep at Kentucky Derby
Courier Journal reporter Kirby Adams asks Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall if there’s a cocktail at Churchill Downs more popular than the mint julep.
There may be no other American sporting event with a more popular cocktail associated with it than the iconic mint julep at the Kentucky Derby.
Since the 1930s, this bourbon, simple syrup, and mint concoction has been the official drink of the Kentucky Derby. Around 127,000 mint juleps are sold at Churchill Downs the weekend of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby but a new drink is giving the old favorite a run for its money.
The Woodford Reserve Spire, named for Woodford Reserve, the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby and the iconic architectural twin spires of Churchill Downs, is rapidly overtaking the mint julep in popularity.
McCall said the exact number of Woodford Reserve Spire cocktails sold over the two-day Kentucky Derby weekend has not been confirmed but it appears the two cocktails are now running neck and neck in popularity.
Does that mean the mint julep is being left behind the dust? Certainly not.
“Your Derby weekend should always include a mint julep,” McCall said. “It is part of the history and tradition of the Kentucky Derby.”
Learn more about the Woodford Spire, and how to make it, in our “What’s With That” video.
Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at [email protected].
