Early Times Mint Julep Named Official Drink Of The Kentucky Derby

Posted Under: News by Jim Murphy on 3rd May 2011

The mint julep has long been the ‘unofficial’ drink of the Kentucky Derby, and of course it only takes a little bit of brand sponsorship and product placement to make it the *official* drink. For the 25th consecutive year the ‘official drink’ of the 2011 Kentucky Derby isn’t just any mint julep, but Early Times Whisky’s version of the drink.

We get the scoop from the excellent bourbon blog ‘BourbonBlog’ which is a must bookmark site for any aficionado of fine distilled libations from the Southeastern US. To celebrate the 2011 milestone Early Times has released a commemorative Kentucky Derby bottle for their premade mint julep.

The 2011 Early Times Mint Julep commemorative bottle features the artwork of Marita Walizer from Oklahoma City, OK. Walizer won a national artist search contest conducted by Early Times to find the artwork featured on the 2011 Kentucky Derby bottle. Her painting, “Derby Cheers”, was selected from hundreds of entries from across the country. She also received $5,000 and a trip for two to the 2011 Kentucky Derby.

“It’s an incredible honor to have my artwork selected to be on the Early Times Mint Julep commemorative bottle,” Walizer tells BourbonBlog.com. “I grew up in Louisville and have been around horses my whole life so this really is a dream to have my painting chosen and to attend the Kentucky Derby.”

Early Times is once again giving consumers the opportunity to submit their artwork for the chance to be featured on the 2012 Kentucky Derby bottle.

Beginning May 2, consumers can log on to www.earlytimes.com/etmjartistsearch to submit their artwork, as well as to see official rules and contest details. The winner will win a VIP trip for two to the 2012 Kentucky Derby, $5000 in cash, along with having their artwork featured on the 2012 Early Times Mint Julep bottle. All submissions must be received by June 28, 2011 at midnight.

During this year’s Derby week, more than 120,000 Early Times Mint Juleps are expected to be served at Churchill Downs. Over the past 24 years, more than 2.5 million Early Times Mint Juleps have been served between Kentucky Oaks and Derby Days at Churchill Downs. This year’s Kentucky Derby 137 will take place Saturday, May 7, 2011 at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky.

The newly labeled Early Times Mint Julep commemorative bottle is available now in limited quantities throughout the United States for a suggested retail price of $14.99.