How to Throw a Kentucky Derby Party
- 1). Send out themed invitations. Choose invitations with horses on them. Inform your guests, especially the women, to dress up and wear big hats, as if they were really attending the races.
- 2). Set up a red carpet leading up to the entrance. Have a guests vote on who has the best hat and who is the best dressed. Provide a prize for the winner of these competitions.
- 3). Have guests arrive early to study the horses. Obtain several copies of the "Daily Racing Form." Guests will be able to leaf through it and decide on their top horse picks.
- 4). Provide slips of paper that guests can write their bets on. Present guests with the slips of paper, and tell them to write down their top three choices in order. Use a point system to calculate the winner: Give 5 points for correctly guessing first place, 3 points for second place and 1 point for third.
- 5). Serve mint juleps. To make a mint julep, combine approximately 5 mint leaves, a little water, and 1 tsp. sugar. Use the end of a spoon to mash them together in the bottom of a glass. Add crushed ice and 2 ounces of Kentucky bourbon to the glass. Stir together.
- 6). Prepare a menu featuring Southern-inspired dishes. This can include fried chicken, hush puppies, crab cakes or other Southern foods.
- 7). Watch the race on television. When the race ends, calculate which guest is the winner. Give a prize to the guest who had the highest number of points.
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