Mint juleps will reign on Saturday, Derby Day

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The horses are at the gate, their jockeys stand high in the stirrups, bets are placed and the crowd is going wild.And there they go!No, not the horses, the mint juleps.Saturday's Kentucky Derby -- "the fastest two minutes of American sports" -- is a tidy excuse to sip sweetened bourbon over cracked ice all afternoon. Over the weekend at parties in and around the Churchill Downs racetrack, something like 80,000 mint juleps, the signature drink of the Derby, will be served. And that's a low guesstimate.The numbers of juleps downed at Derby Day parties held outside Louisville, mostly by Southern ex-pats and friends of Dixie, are uncountable.The mother of all Derby Day parties is held at the Willard InterContinental Hotel's historic Round Robin Bar in Washington.At the bar's annual Bonnets and Bowties Derby Bash, its signature drink, the mint julep, is the libation of the day. It was in this bar in the 1850s that Kentucky Sen. Henry Clay mixed Washington's first mint julep.The Round Robin was a gentleman's parlor back then -- no women allowed. The ladies had to sit in a sort of back-room balcony called "The Nest" where they could sip their juleps in private. In 1904, prohibitionist Carrie Nation so ranted and raged against the drink that some wit posted a sign in the bar that said, "All Nations Welcome Except Carrie."Originally, juleps were served in sterling-silver cups or mugs. The reason is that silver is an excellent heat conductor, which allows a beautiful white coating of frost to form on the outside of the mug.While silver is still preferred on the verandas of the wealthy, inexpensive glasses that can go into the dishwasher are favored by the rest of us.My husband and I were in Washington on business a year ago. After going our separate ways in the afternoon, we met to debrief over cocktails in the Round Robin Bar, which is just off the Willard's lobby.It's a tiny room, with a bigger reputation than its space would indicate. Its big round bar with few tables is a superb setting for intramural bantering.As Bob and I leaned on the bar, we skipped our usual martinis and ordered mint juleps because I wanted to watch the bartender concoct this boozy Southern rite of spring. The Round Robin's julep is nothing like the austere recipe printed in the Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide we have at home. And it probably doesn't match your my-way-or-the-highway preferred method either.Here's their drill:Into the bottom of a 14-ounce glass, place a big sprig of fresh mint leaves and a heaping teaspoon of sugar. Splash in soda water to fill one-third of the glass.With the back of a spoon or a pestle, muddle and crush the mint. Add crushed ice to the top of the glass. It looks like way too much. It's not.Pour a shot of bourbon over the ice.Our bartender poured Maker's Mark from a spout top. (I can never figure out how they know how much is enough. It looked like lots more than a shot.) Give the drink a good stir. Now add crushed ice to round up over the rim of the glass like a snow cone. Swirl another shot of Maker's Mark bourbon over the top. The crushed ice will settle some.Tuck a large, fresh sprig of mint into the glass, and sprinkle a little sugar over the mint, about one-half teaspoon. Top with a lemon twist, add a straw and serve.We imbibed every drop until we made sucking sounds in the bottom of the glasses.Bob was in fine form that night, but I slept right through his speech.PAMA MINT JULEPThis mint julep is anything but traditional, but the PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur with which it is made does hail from Louisville, not far from its maker, Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc.2 ounces PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur2 ounces bourbon2 sprigs of fresh mint2 sugar cubesIn a mixing glass, muddle mint and sugar with bourbon and PAMA. Shake ingredients vigorously over ice and strain into a Julep Cup (or a simple rocks glass) over crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and serve.With Cinco de Mayo coming right up, you may wish to try a:PAMA-RITA1-1/2 ounces Patron Silver tequila3/4 ounce PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur3 ounces Sence Rose Nectar1 ounces Sweet & Sour MixPour ingredients in a blender with one scoop of ice, blend for 10 seconds and pour into glass. Rim glass with salt and garnish with lime wedge.CHOCOLATE PECAN DERBY DAY PIEA classic Southern pecan chocolate pie topped with whipped cream is served at Churchill Downs and at Kentucky Derby parties on Derby Day.No big secret here: Just add chocolate chips to any pecan-pie recipe. And a touch of bourbon never hurts.Just don't call it Derby-Pie, a zealously protected registered trademark of the Kentucky company that makes and sells its secret recipe.Pecan pies look attractive when made with whole pecan halves, but they are difficult to cut into even slices. If you coarsely chop the pecans, you will have neater cuts.3 large eggs, lightly beaten1 cup dark corn syrup1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed2 tablespoons melted, unsalted butter2 tablespoons bourbon, optional1 teaspoon vanilla1/4 teaspoon salt1 cup coarsely chopped pecans6-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chipsOne 9-inch, deep-dish pie shell, unbakedPreheat oven to 375 degrees.Mix eggs, corn syrup and brown sugar until well mixed. Stir in the butter, bourbon, vanilla, salt, pecans and chocolate chips and mix well. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell.Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until filling is set in the center when pie is gently shaken. Place on a rack to cool.Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.(Marlene Parrish can be reached at mparrish(at)post-gazette.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com.)