LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Woodford Reserve is selling hundreds of jewel-encrusted Mint Julep cups ahead of the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby.
Every year, Woodford Reserve sells two types of special-edition Mint Julep cups, priced at $1,000 and $5,000, benefitting an important charity.
A total of 300 cups were created this year. Each cup features the iconic Twin Spires of Churchill Downs adorned in crystals.
“These julep cups are a tribute to 150 years of greatness,” Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall said. “They’re a true spectacle, and every detail has been handcrafted.”
Proceeds this year will support the Backside Learning Center, an independent non-profit organization providing support and resources for the diverse community of racetrack workers and their families at Churchill Downs.
“We are excited to have been chosen by the Woodford Reserve team as the beneficiary of the julep cup proceeds this year. We see every day the hard work and sacrifice that is made by hundreds of people who are truly the unsung heroes of the sport,” Sherry Stanley, executive director of The Backside Learning Center, said. “The awareness and support this opportunity will bring is critical to our important mission, as we provide transformational programs and services to a community that is so central to the industry.”
The rare Mint Julep cups were handmade by Louisville based jeweler From the Vault. As well as the Twin Spires, the cups also feature an engraving marking the 150th anniversary of the Kentucky Derby, which began in 1875.
There are 200 silver cups, priced at $1,000, featuring 44 green crystals. There are 100 gold cups, priced at $5,000, which feature 44 crystals. The gold cups also include a commemorative coffee table book that explores the history of the Kentucky Derby.
The cups can be picked up at the $1,000 Mint Julep Cup Experience at Churchill Downs on Friday, May 3 (Kentucky Oaks Day) or Saturday, May 4 (Derby Day). For the first time, customers can choose to have the cups shipped to their homes, arriving in time for Derby celebrations.
Sales of the $1,000 Mint Julep cups start on April 9 at 10 a.m. Click here if you're interested.
Woodford Reserve's official 2024 Mint Julep recipe:
The Rose Mint Julep
- 2 oz. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- 1 tsp. of rose-infused honey simple syrup
- 6 Mint Leaves
- Miniature rose buds, for garnish
To make the Mint Julep, you wipe mint leaves inside a julep cup, expressing the fragrances and flavor. Drop the leaves in the cup. Add rose-infused honey simple syrup, crushed ice and Woodford Reserve Bourbon to the cup. Garnish with mint and miniature rose buds.
This year's Mint Julep recipe features handmade rose-infused honey simple syrup, a nod to the 150th Run for the Roses.
To make the syrup, put a handful of rose hips into a jar of honey, let it sit for two weeks, filter out any remaining rose hips, and add one part rose-infused honey and one part water to make simple syrup.
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