As someone who did not grow up in Kentucky, I’ll admit that I was not privy to the joys of a Kentucky Derby party before I met my husband. But he soon introduced me to the concept—and even took me to the actual Derby once—so after almost 20 years I feel like I’m now qualified to give advice on how to host an epic Kentucky Derby party.
We’ve had several Kentucky Derby parties over the years, but I think last year’s was the most fun. But since we live in Hawaii, the Derby itself was around lunchtime, which means our party started in the morning. So our foods were possibly a bit more brunch-y than you might want for a party in the Eastern time zone.
The basics
I’m sure you’re aware that the Kentucky Derby is a horse race. It’s the first of the Triple Crown races and is held in (duh) Kentucky. It’s also the longest continuously held sporting event in America!
People go all out for their outfits at the Derby, with a special emphasis on hats and fascinators. And the actual Derby is itself only lasts about two minutes! There are hours of races and TV coverage leading up to that, though, so you’ll likely want to start your party a few hours before the race begins.
The decor
The Kentucky Derby is also called the Run for the Roses, so you’re going to need some roses. Anything horse related is great, too, though if you’re not planning to host horse-related parties in the future you may want to use solid colored linens or whatever you already own. But you need some cups or glasses that are on the small size for the mint juleps, and you’ll need straws that you can cut for people to use with those cups. Giant red Solo cups don’t really work unless you’re hoping to have people passing out on the floor before the race even starts.
I ordered some of the official merchandise (like napkins and plates and glasses) last year, along with a horseshoe paperweight for the napkins, some horse stir sticks, and a table runner with horses on it, and on a whim ordered this backdrop thing with Churchill Downs on it.
The drinks
Mint juleps are a given. Real juleps are made with crushed ice or nugget ice, so I bought two big bags of ice from Chick-fil-A last year. Then I made a giant batch of mint-infused simple syrup and mixed it with bourbon so no one would have to muddle any mint or be mixing drinks during the party. We also prepped fresh mint (for garnish) and straws ahead of time.
Besides mint juleps, I’d recommend at least one non-alcoholic drink, like lemonade or sweet tea. I bought a few gallons of each when I was buying the ice. It’s also good to have another cocktail or alcohol option. We had mimosas since it was brunch time, but the Oaks Lily is also a great choice.
The food
I always try to include a few traditional Kentucky foods as well as more generally southern things. Our brunchy menu for last year’s Kentucky Derby party was: Pigs in a blanket, cheesy grits casserole, pimento cheese, biscuits, candied bacon, deviled eggs, fruit salad with mint sugar, a cheese board with pepperoni roses and a cheese hat, blueberry muffins, Kentucky hot brown sliders, mini pecan pies, red velvet cupcakes, and bourbon balls.
I started making the bourbon balls the week before, and froze the rolled butter-pecan mixture overnight on a cookie sheet before I dipped them all in chocolate. I also rolled the pigs in a blanket ahead of time and froze them before baking, and made and froze the raw biscuits as well. It was too much food (of course) but I am extra.
I feel like the brunch vibe could work on the West Coast as well, but if you’re on the East Coast you will probably want to nix some of the more breakfasty items and do something like bourbon-glazed beef tenderloin or bourbon-glazed chicken. Sweet tea rice could be fun for a side dish, peach-pecan upside down cake is an easy and delicious dessert, and chocolate-pecan pie is the classic Derby pie. If you’d rather have a pecan pie without chocolate, you should make this one from Smitten Kitchen. It’s the absolute best, with or without bourbon in it.
The activities
Obviously the main event at a Kentucky Derby party is watching the Kentucky Derby. Eating and drinking are also key activities. But there are several other options for things to add to your party to make it even more fun. Since we *are* talking about horse racing, you could do some form of betting. You can actually bet on the real race from home, but if you want to keep it more casual, you can set up some form of betting at the party itself. There are downloads available on Etsy if you want a poster and forms and such.
Another easy idea is to have a contest for best hat or best outfit. You can choose it yourself or have the guests vote—just make sure you get some kind of prize ahead of time! And something we did last year that was fun was to have our own “Derby” with inflatable stick horses. We only did this with kids, but I think it would be fun with the right group of adults as well. I also got a horseshoe yard game to play, but we didn’t end up using it.
Sadly, we are going to be out of town for this year’s Derby, so we won’t be hosting a party. But I hope my tips help you make your party the best ever—and I hope your horse wins!
