Enjoyed a $20 artisan cocktail lately? That’s nothing.
You see, it’s time for another weekend of big hats. And mint juleps — the Kentucky Derby is this Saturday.
Woodford Reserve Bourbon has teamed up with Tiffany & Co. to sell a limited edition, handcrafted $1000 mint julep cup.
The handmade sterling silver cups come with sterling sipping straw and are individually numbered. They can be purchased online through May 5 on a first-come, first served basis. You can also bid on three additional, specially designed T & C cups, starting at $2000.
You’ll pick up your cup packaged in the signature blue box at the Woodford Reserve $1000 Mint Julep Cup Experience at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Owners of the cup will taste a special cocktail made with uber-exotic ingredients like ice made of rainwater from Tasmania, where it is proven to be the purest in the world; rare chocolate mint grown in San Diego; bourbon-smoked demerara sugar from Louisville; and lastly a small batch of the Master Distiller’s personal selection of Woodford Reserve super-premium bourbon. Wow.
This could be the most you’ve ever paid for a cocktail. But feel better because proceeds from the cup sales benefit The Heart of a Horse Foundation, a horse rescue organization.
And if your weekend plans don’t include a trip to the Kentucky Derby this weekend, here’s a recipe to get into the spirit on Saturday. I suggest serving homemade boursin or cocktail nuts to accompany the beverage. Enjoy. -alyce eyster
- 3-5 mint leaves
- 1 tsp powdered sugar
- 2 tsp water
- 2-2½ oz. Woodford Reserve Bourbon
- crushed ice
- Muddle four mint sprigs and sugar in the bottom of a julep glass. Add water and continue to muddle. Add bourbon.
- Pack the julep glass with crushed ice. Add a mint sprig for decoration and a sipping straw.
Recipe & photos courtesy Woodford Reserve.