Derby Day
Exciting it may be, but lasting a total of two minutes, the horse race is not exactly the main event at the Kentucky Derby. Providing longer-term enjoyment for seersucker- and sundress-clad spectators are mint juleps, the horse race's official cocktail. The recipe: bourbon, mint, sugar and ice. Oddly, the official Derby julep is made with Early Times — a Kentucky whiskey, but not a bourbon. Derbygoers don't seem to mind, though, consuming more than 120,000 juleps every year.
And then there are the other spectators. While those who are wealthy or connected enough score seats in the Churchill Downs grandstand, the rabble head to the infield. And much like the infield at a NASCAR race, it's a decidedly less classy affair (see above). Replace juleps with cheap beer and hats and suits with denim and T-shirts, and you've got the idea.