Saturday, March 30, 2013

SPRING FORWARD TO...MAY?

Here in Kentucky, when the weather is warm and the sun is shining on a bright Sunday, we tend to turn our mind to spring.  And spring in Kentucky means the Kentucky Derby and the "run for the roses" that happens the first Saturday in May :)  We've already had the "Jim Beam Stakes" at Turfway Park - a big too-do and lead-up to the Kentucky Derby.  My BIL, Mac, played the VIP Pavilion and has seen the likes of William Shatner, Ashley Judd, and other stars who love horses and dressing up for the big event.  

I have started following an artist who happens to have the art work for the labels on Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon bottles for the Kentucky Derby this year.  What a cool gig this would be for an artist.  He's not a Kentucky artist, but I like his take on the big race.  

Here's a photo of the bottle.  Woodford Reserve is what they use to make the high-priced mint juleps.  The common folks drink their mint juleps with Early Times.

And here's an article about the bottle, about Woodford Reserve, and about the artist, Eric Bowman.  (I hope he posts something about this on his blog so we learn more about how he was chosen, what he had to do to create the label, etc.  I asked a question in a comment but he's yet to reply.)

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/woodford-bourbon-releases-2013-kentucky-201800199.html


For those wondering what's in a mint julep:
A mix of mint, bourbon, sugar, and water (sometimes with a splash of club soda), the mint julep is a simple Derby-Day favorite.  Of course, there are many new variations being created, but this is the original ingredients.  A sprig of mint adds the final touch.  A few of these and you won't mind losing money on the horse you picked!

5 comments:

Autumn Leaves said...

Rhonda, you always talk about interesting things. Love this post and love the bottle too. I wonder what a mint julep tastes like? It sounds rich and decadent and elegant and sophisticated and a southern staple. Can you believe I've never tried one?

Sadami said...

Hi, Rhonda,
Thank you for interesting info. Wow, what a beautiful header!!
Best wishes, Sadami

RH Carpenter said...

Sherry and Sadami, I saw this on Eric's blog for about 1 minute - then he removed it. So I waited a month to post this, thinking he'd put it back up and I'd link to his post. But he never did. So I figured, hey, next Sunday is the Run for the Roses, dude! Get some publicity out there!

Studio at the Farm said...

Thank you, Rhonda. That was a very interesting post!
Why did I assume you were somehere in the mid-west??? :)

RH Carpenter said...

Kathryn, a Kentucky girl, born and bred :) I've lived other places but when I cross that Ohio River and see Welcome to Kentucky, my heart always lifts.