Local party thrower Amy Tobin, author and culinary director at EQ @ The Party Source, says enjoy Kentucky Bourbons in cocktails—and food.
Start with Jim Beam, located in Shepardsville, Ky. Make Tipsy Barbecue Sauce and mix it with shredded chicken. Serve it on mini buns for easy, make-ahead Derby Day Sliders.
Wash your sliders down with a Kentucky Margarita. Sound strange? Try it. You won’t miss the tequila.
Jim Beam Tipsy Barbecue Sauce
2 fresh peaches, peeled, sliced and marinated for 1 hour in Jim Beam Black®
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon mustard seed, finely crushed
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 tablespoons dried basil
8 ounces Jim Beam Black® Bourbon
2 ounces cider vinegar
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups tomato juice
1 can (6 oz) tomato puree
Combine all ingredients and simmer to reduce and meld flavors for about 1 hour. Cool. Put in a blender until sauce is smooth. If sauce does not thicken, reduce by simmering over low heat until it coats the back of a spoon.
Kentucky Margarita1-1/4 parts Jim Beam® Bourbon
splash triple sec
splash sour mix
lime wedge
Combine 1-1/4 parts Jim Beam® Bourbon with a splash of triple sec and a splash of sour mix and blend with ice. Serve in a salt-rimmed glass.
Hot dips are always popular at a Derby party. Use a splash (or two) of Makers Mark, located in Loretto, Ky., in a rich hot seafood dip. What to drink? The Hemingway Old Fashioned made with Makers Mark, of course.
Makers Mark Cocktail Casserole
From "That Special Touch - Maker's Mark - A Cookbook by Sandra Davis"
8 oz. cream cheese
1 part Maker's Mark® Bourbon
6 1/2 oz. flaked crabmeat
2 tsp. minced onions
1/2 tsp. horseradish
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Sliced almonds
Blend all ingredients except almonds, put in oven-proof dish and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve with toast rounds.
Hemingway Old Fashioned
(from Colin Field of the Ritz-Carlton Paris' Bar Hemingway)
In an old fashioned glass, squeeze from the hand a tablespoon of orange juice.
The same again from the lemon.
Add 7 drops of "Bitter Truth" aromatic bitters.
1 soup spoon (flat) not heaped of white castar sugar (Had it been for Ernest Hemingway--we would not put sugar in!)
5 cubes of ice
2 parts Maker's Mark
Stir gently for 20 seconds.
Serve garnished with a slice of lemon and of orange. Plus one cherry.
Every good Derby party has lots of finger food- and a platter of deviled eggs because “the men like ‘em”. Try these from Woodford Reserve in Versailles Kentucky. Have something sweet for the ladies to sip, like a Woodford Bourbon Ball Manhattan.
Woodford Deviled Eggs
2 dozen medium sized eggs, purchased a week in advance of preparation
½ to ¾ cup good quality mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Woodford Reserve
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ stick very soft unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
capers for garnish
(*Fresh eggs do not peel very well, hence our use of week-old-eggs)
Gently place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Over medium heat, bring to a boil, and boil exactly 14 minutes. Immediately place eggs in an ice water bath and leave till completely cool. Peel eggs under cold, running water and place on a clean kitchen towel to dry. When dry, cut eggs in half, lengthwise, placing the yolks into a mixing bowl. Mash yolks well and combine with the remaining ingredients, except for capers.
Mix well until well incorporated and fill egg halves, using a pasty bag or small spoon. Garnish with capers.
Woodford Bourbon Ball Manhattan
2 oz. Woodford Reserve®
1 oz. white crème de cacao
¼ oz. hazelnut liqueur
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add ingredients and shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Amy Tobin is the culinary director at the Northern Kentucky cooking school EQ @ The Party Source and author of Amy's Table: Food for Family and Friends. A contributor to Cincinnati Magazine, she is the former host of Cooking with Sol featuring Amy Tobin on Cincinnati’s WLWT and Amy’s Table on Cincinnati’s PBS station CET. She hosts a weekly lifestyle radio program Sunday morning's at 9 a.m. on WKRQ (Q102). A recipe developer and consultant to several national food brands, Tobin leads culinary adventures through Europe and lives in Ohio with her husband, son and daughter.
For more information visit AmysTable.com.
