Fire And Ice Kentucky Lemonade For Derby Day!

Derby Day is on Saturday, May 4, 2019.

In just a little over a month, it will be Derby Day…the hats! the mint juleps! Kentucky Hot Browns! and oh yeah…a little horse race!

One of the best Derby Day galas outside of Louisville, Kentucky is held at Rockledge on Mill Mountain, Roanoke, Virginia. https://www.facebook.com/DerbyDayGala

This dress is vintage with horses coming and going…

One of the reasons that our gala is so popular is the “Lucky Bar”. Hunter Johnson, owner and mixologist extraordinaire of Lucky Restaurant in downtown Roanoke, creates specialty cocktails especially for this event.

My drink of choice “The Rockledge” …Franklin County Distillery Rum, lime, pineapple+habanero syrup with mint.

Fire and Ice Kentucky Lemonade

Makes 8 cups

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (from approximately 6 lemons ~ don’t worry about the seeds, they will be strained out later)

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves + a few mint sprigs for garnish

2/3 cup Bourbon

4 cups ginger ale
large ice cubes
12 slices fresh Mandarin oranges, cut slices in half

Maker’s Mark Bourbon Cherries for garnish
8 very thin slices (adjust the number of slices to taste ~ these are hot, so be careful!) Serrano peppers, seeds and membrane removed
Fine (caster) sugar for cocktail glass rim (fine sugar is available at Fresh Market)

In a small saucepan, combine granulated sugar and water and heat over medium heat. Heat until sugar dissolves into water and mixture is clear. Simmer 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat.
Add lemon juice, mint leaves, Serrano pepper slices and Bourbon, then let mixture cool.
Pour mixture through a fine strainer into a pitcher to remove solid particles and mint leaves. Rim cocktail glasses with fine sugar. To rim glasses place fine sugar on a small plate. Rub the edge of each cocktail glass with a lemon wedge. Roll the edge of the glass in the fine sugar. For each lemonade cocktail mix 1/2 cup lemonade mixture to 1/2 cup ginger ale and stir to combine. Add 2 or more large ice cubes and 2 mandarin orange slices. Garnish with Maker’s Mark Bourbon Cherries and a sprig of mint.