Jackie Zykan, Old Forester master taster, joins Cheddar News to show viewers how they can make a mint julep at home ahead of the 2022 Kentucky Derby. 

Between Bells

Bringing Home the Taste of the Kentucky Derby with Old Forester

Welcome back to Between Bells everyone. The first saturday in May is always one of the most exciting moments in sports with the annual running of the Kentucky Derby this year will mark the 148th running of the big race and this year it's all about tradition, especially when it comes to mixing up the most celebrated drink, the mint julep of course. And joining us now to discuss is Jackie's icon Old Forester Master Taster. Welcome to the show. Before we talk about the Derby and get into the drinks, I have to mention your official title at Old Forester Master Taster, So tell us more about that title and what it means, how it's different from something like a master distiller or a master blender, yep, so it's more similar to a master blender role than it is a master distiller role. I'm focused more on the post maturation side of the process, but the role is an interesting one, right? It's sort of this hybrid between global marketing and production where you're there not only for new product development and quality assurance, making sure every bottle, you know, is meeting all of our high quality and consistency standards, but you're also doing things like this. So for a couple of weeks I get to sort of represent the jewel up for everybody, which is awesome. I mean no day is ever the same, which keeps it very interesting. Yeah, and I love that. You mentioned some of the traditions because you have a gorgeous fascinator on right now. Um so one of those, of course the fabulous hats. Things like the rose garland. Um what is it about these kinds of traditions that you think makes them so special when it comes to the Kentucky Derby, but also the tie with Old Forester. Yeah, so old Forester is actually the only bourbon out there in the country that has made start to finish in Louisville Kentucky. So we kind of jokingly refer to it as the hometown bourbon of bourbons hometown. Um now a lot of these traditions that relate to the Derby really organically came to be. So the big brimmed hats and the lightweight seersucker fabric are of course going to keep you sort of nice and cool during the warm summer months down here in the south if you want to call it that the julep is no exception to that. So the mint is super cooling the crushed ice, It's always going to be a nice chill in the glass. All these things just sort of kind of came out of necessity. And so it was announced in 1939 that this was the official cocktail of the Kentucky Derby, even though the drink itself has roots way way before the Derby was even in anyone's mind. Yeah, and I hear that you have a demonstration for the perfect mint julep for us today. I think this is perfect, especially for those who maybe aren't going to experience the Derby in person, How can they create the perfect mint julep from home Yeah, so it's incredibly simple, but with anything that you make that has limited ingredients that really falls on technique in order to make a difference between a really, really good one or one that's maybe gone over. I so we're gonna start with two ounces of Old Forester, 86 groups. Now, Old Forester has a bunch of different bourbons that you can utilize, but this woman is light and crisp and fresh and makes a perfect Dulip three quarters of an ounce of 1 to 1. Simple syrup, just equal parts water and sugar. And then of course you can't have a minute develop without actual mint. And so make sure you're using super fresh, bright crisp mint, not that sort of sad floppy mint. That might be in the back of your fridge that you forgot about 8 to 10 mint leaves. It's going to get you where you need to be. And then important is a flat bottom Hudler. There's different modelers out there on the market, Some have teeth. Those are more for kind of pulverizing fleshy fruits, cherries, oranges, things like that. When you're dealing with leaves, you just kind of want to press and turn very, very gently to really coax the oils out of there. You don't want to have any little chips of mint floating around because they can get stuck in your teeth. Let's be honest, um you just only need a little bit if you go too far with the muddling, it actually creates a bitter drink and that's certainly not what we're after, It is not getting shaken, it's not getting stirred with ice. The delusion for the balance in this cocktail is actually coming from using crushed ice. So we're gonna go ahead and pour this over crushed ice into this class. Anytime you use crushed ice, use a straw, it'll get you where you need. And then of course the garnish. And another thing that a lot of people skip is the sort of smacking around of the mint as we call it. So mint has so much great aromatic oil in the leaves, but you have to get it out of there. So you have to sort of tap it on the back of your hand, you can tap it on your wrist, you can clap it in your hand like that, but that way you're kind of breaking it up a little bit and that goes right in next to your straw so that with every sip it's right there and super volatile right in your face, but it's super simple, Right? And it's a classic, you make it look so easy and it looks really good plus you know, even if you get a couple of pieces stuck in your teeth at least you know, your breath will smell really fresh. So really quick follow up question to this, Do you have any recommendations if someone is hosting a viewing party or a Kentucky derby themed party at home? Like what goes well with the mint julep in terms of like a food accompaniment, definitely. So um you can batch a jewel up, you can do all of that, but if you are looking for food, you know, Churchill Downs actually has some really great, really great recommendations through their site on Derby cuisine. The chef out at Churchill Downs, which is the track where the race is held is incredibly talented and literally this, it is what he does, he focuses on Derby Day, So Kentucky classic items, things like the hot brown, things like Derby pie, stuff like that, Benedictine spread, which I learned about when I moved to Louisville and it's delicious, all kinds of strange little Louisville nuances, but that's what kind of makes it fun. So Churchill downs website for sure. And then if you need additional cocktail recipes, definitely check out Old Forester dot com. We even have mock tail julep recipes in case you're not imbibing but still want to be part of the derby celebration. I love it. Jackie's icon, Old Forester Master Taster, thank you so much for that demo on the mint julep