Daddy Days: A homemade Derby Day
The Kentucky Derby is coming up on Saturday, May 4. Apparently, it’s the 150th anniversary of this illustrious horse race — of which I know virtually nothing. Nothing, that is, other than there is a tradition to drink mint juleps at the Kentucky Derby.
I had never had a mint julep and didn’t even know what it was, so a few years back I decided I wanted to try it out on the first Saturday in May (the day the Kentucky Derby is always held).
A mint julep is made by mixing bourbon, sugar, ice and fresh mint. The ratios and preparations vary, but the simple ingredients are basically the same. When I was researching recipes for mint juleps, I came across an article explaining how 100 years ago high society Southern young men would host parties and debut their personal recipe for a mint julep. I was going to cite that article for this column, but I can’t find it or any references to it, so perhaps while playing high-class Kentuckian on my back porch a few years ago I invented this idea.
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Anyway, we had a mint plant so I had fresh mint and I muddled it in a glass (which is an act so controversial in the realm of mint juleps that any Southern Belle who read that might have fainted) and prepared my first mint julep. I took a sip.
There was a journalist in the late 1800s named J. Soule Smith who wrote a poem of sorts about the mint julep. I guess 19th century journalism wasn’t as laser-focused on the news as I thought. In this poem, he says mint juleps are “the very dream of drinks.”
After my first sip I said, “meh.” I thought it over and decided it was possible I had done a poor job making this renowned drink but it was more likely I didn’t have the environment right. I was supposed to be debuting my mint julep to society and here I was sipping it all alone. I decided what I needed was society. So I invited the five boys (this was a few years ago) to hang out on the back porch.
Once the boys were milling about, I took another sip. I still wasn’t experiencing the “Zenith of man’s pleasure” per J. Soule Smith’s ode, so I considered the mint julep sipping environment again.
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Maybe the excitement of competition is an important factor to the enjoyment of a mint julep? So, I got out the washers and challenged the boys to a game. We played and I took another sip but I still wouldn’t call it anything special.
Then I realized it must be the specific excitement of a horse race that really completes the julep. I took a gander over the five thoroughbreds (more like Shetland ponies) that were the boys and set up a racecourse in the backyard. Off they went!
Now this was more like it! Here’s comes the oldest on the inside … but the little one is pulling up strong. … Oh, the racer in slot four just tripped on a Cozy Coop and took out number two and number three!
I could almost hear the announcer calling the race to the crowd at the Derby as the remaining boys raced neck and neck to the finish.
I took another sip. And you know what? It was still “meh.” I guess I don’t really get the Kentucky Derby or mint juleps.
Then again, I did learn that they have a knack for making a short and simple race seem extra exciting. So maybe I figured out the secret to the mint julep after all.
Harris and his wife live in Pflugerville with their seven children. Please email comments or suggestions for future columns to thoughtsforcaleb@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Daddy Days: A homemade Derby Day
