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10 tasty food and cocktail recipes for your at-home 2022 Kentucky Derby party

Kirby Adams Louisville Courier Journal

The 148th Kentucky Derby is Saturday, May 7 and that means it’s time to saddle up and start planning your party. If you’re not quite sure where to start, Louisville entertaining mavens Peggy Noe Stevens and Susan Reigler have written a book filled with entertaining ideas and recipes called “Which Fork Do I Use With My Bourbon?” 

It includes traditional Southern cocktails and appetizers that will take your 2022 Kentucky Derby party up a notch, from nontraditional mint juleps to everything from Kentucky classic Benedictine to cheese grits and corn pudding. (Plus, try the bonus recipe below from Kentucky’s own Ale-8-One.)

Entertaining experts Tim Laid and David Danielson, the former executive chef at Churchill Downs, have also co-authored a Southern-inspired cookbook “The Bourbon Country Cookbook.” The beautifully photographed book is filled with recipes from the historic racetrack and more that are just right for Kentucky Derby week festivities.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t get left behind at the starting gate. You can never start planning a great Kentucky Derby party too early. Here are 10 food and cocktails recipes to try that are guaranteed winners.    

Ale-8-One has brought back its traditional horse racing-themed Kentucky Derby packaging this month. For your themed at-home party, enjoy the Kentucky-born beverage on its own or as a mixer. 

  • 2 teaspoons Ale-8 infused simple syrup
  • 6-8 mint leaves
  • Crushed ice
  • 1.5 ounces bourbon
  • 1 bottle Ale-8

Gently muddle simple syrup and mint leaves in a silver julep cup. Fill the cup with crushed ice. Add bourbon and fill the cup with Ale-8. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

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