An Eagle County party guide to the Kentucky Derby

The 152nd Kentucky Derby is set for Saturday at 4:57 p.m. Mountain Time, and whether you are going out to view it or hosting your own watch party, here are a few fun facts about Derby Day.

KentuckyDerby.com, the official website of this event, calls this horse race that dates back to 1875 a “celebration of Southern culture” and a “true icon of Americana.” It’s known as the “most exciting two minutes in sports” because it takes about two minutes for the 20 horses to run around the 1.25-mile track at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

The race features three-year-old thoroughbreds who have earned enough points in races leading up to the Kentucky Derby to compete in this coveted and iconic competition. The nickname, Run for the Roses, comes from the ornate garland that is placed on the newly minted winning horse and jockey. Over 400 red roses are hand-picked and sewn into the satin green fabric and the entire garland weighs about 40 pounds.

The sporting event is also quite a fashion show. Ladies will wear large hats adorned with flowers, ribbons or feathers and other whimsical accents. Or fascinators work as a way to strut your style at a party without being too over-the-top. Men can dust off the seer-sucker suit, or don a colored blazer with a pop of color paired with khaki pants. Guys can wear hats, too. Good choices include a fedora, pork pie or newsboy hat.  

If you plan to watch the Kentucky Derby at home and want to make your own mint julep, here’s a recipe. According to KentuckyDerby.com, over 120,000 mint juleps will be served at the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

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Perfect Mint Julep

• Fresh mint
• Crushed ice (crushed ice works better than cubed ice)
• Woodford Reserve, Bardstown, Maker’s Mark or Michter’s bourbon
• Sugar cubes, straight sugar or simple syrup

Put four or five mint leaves in the bottom of a glass and muddle the leaves with a muddle stick. Add a half an ounce of simple syrup or sugar to the leaves and muddle some more. Add two-and-a-half ounces of bourbon. Add crushed ice until the glass gets frosty then garnish with a leaf or two of mint and serve cold. If you have a pewter, silver, copper or aluminum cup, serve the mint julep in that.  

Serve your mint julep with dishes like the famous hot brown open-faced sandwich, bourbon meatballs or pretty much anything with Vidalia onions. Here are a few places you can go for watch parties:

10th Mountain Whiskey and Spirits Company Tasting Room

10th Mountain Whiskey and Spirits Company is hosting its Kentucky Derby Watch Party once again and welcomes everyone to join them before, during and after the race. The Kentucky Derby Watch Party goes from 2:30-6 and then stick around for the live music. Clar Killoran will perform from 7-9 p.m. There will be prizes for best hat and best dressed and mint juleps will be served by the whiskey experts. The watch party will be held at the Tasting Room on Bridge Street in Vail Village. For more information, visit 10th Mountain Whiskey’s Facebook events page.

Lookout Bar at Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa in Avon

Celebrate the Kentucky Derby on Saturday with the Lookout Bar’s third annual Derby Party. Before or after you watch the most exciting two minutes in sports, come for some bites and the Kentucky Derby inspired cocktails.

Guests are encouraged to dress in their most dapper Kentucky Derby looks in order to win great prizes, including $100 Lookout Bar gift certificates for both Best Hat and Best Dressed. The Lookout Bar Derby Party will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. and is free and open to those 21 years old and older, but reservations are required, go to lookoutbaravon.com/happenings.