Derby Day, 2001

Mixin' up the medicine.............

As a precursor to the Kentucky Derby, there's an  informal affair of mixin' up the medicine. The main ingredients: several bushels of corn, sweetly distilled, a pile of fresh mint, a bucket of simple syrup, and some good folks to do the deed. Here's Elke, a blonde bombshell with several live soldiers in her arms, cocked and loaded, while Don, the faithful shepherd, keeps watch on his flock of Wild Turkey....

Pour me, pour me, pour me, another shot of whiskey............... 
(Trick Pony)

We think there were twelve bottles of Wild Turkey that were used for the 2001 Derby festivities, and maybe one or two more that fueled the preparations, but that's only a guess. We didn't keep accurate records. The local booze can was emptied of its full supply of Wild Turkey.

The Turkey was filtered through cheesecloth loaded with mint, gently bruised with Don's loving touch, and added to large glass vessels (think wine making 101), where it was mixed with the syrup and left to chill for several days in the basement.

At right, Chris is pulling a Turkey out of her pants, Peter works his sac, and the Master Distiller is guarding the cache.

The result was a high-voltage admixture of pure Kentucky, which was laid into with relish by all and sundry. Needless to say there was not a drop to be found by mid-afternoon. For any left standing it was fend for yourself at that point. By all accounts there was a great deal of fending (the cupboards were bare by midnight, and some were found gnawing on wood in the absence of anything more edible/potable).

The Hat Contest

The hat contest is a work in progress. The first year about the only hat in evidence was a pair of panties on an amorous johnny, who shall remain nameless. Last year it was slightly better. Below are a couple of examples:

We are expecting bigger, gaudier, bawdier, and goofier things from the hat crowd this year. We'll see. 

Betting

It should come as no surprise that we do engage in an informal contest of horse picking whereby each interested individual can toss $10 into the hat and pick three names from the list of horses in the Derby. Everything is weighted by the odds as at post time, and prizes are awarded for the top three point totals as ascertained by an obscure and complex mathematical formula devised on the spot by the combined efforts of several high school dropouts. It's a pretty good purse split 50%, 30%, and 20% for first through third places, and is hotly contested. The difference between winning and losing is generally in picking the long-shot.

For a look at the lineup, odds, and all things derby, check out the official site, www.kentuckyderby.com.