The Derby is not a particularly well known cocktail, and comes from a time period where cocktails were named after champions in the horse races. The affinity of the sport and cocktails continues to the day with the prominence of the Mint Julep. If you want to reach back, and give something a little more historical a try this Derby Day, why not bet on a long shot and try The Derby?
The Derby
The Derby is a dry, yet well balanced prohibition style cocktail that highlights a diverse selection of ingredients having something of a free style jazz session. The first sip highlights the brightness from the lime and vermouth before giving way into the sweeter notes of spice and orange. The bourbon notes come in toward tail end to crank the spice just a little higher, while adding a slightly tannic finish. Overall, the drink is really well composed if a little intense.
Drink Notes & Recommendations
The Derby is one of the most standardized obscure cocktails I’ve run across. The general consensus follows the exact proportions we used here. The only variation I’ve seen was in the use of Grand Marnier in place of orange curacao. This could work with some of the darker profiles, but isn’t the standard recipe.
- Bourbon – Any standard bourbon will work here, but you might steer away from wheated bourbons. A spicier note helps here. We used Wild Turkey 101.
- Lime Juice – Use fresh squeezed as always.
- Orange Curacao – Our gold standard here is Cointreau, and what we recommend.
- Sweet Vermouth – Our go to is Carpano Antica, the spice notes in it will compliment well. Lighter vermouths may be over powered by the lime.
- Garnish – The mint leaf should be fresh, and adds a nice freshness to the nose. Slap it before placing it in the cocktail.
- Glassware – I recommend a chilled coupe here.