Best Kentucky Derby Party Ideas

Hosting a Derby Viewing Party

I’m going to just be bold here and declare this to be the best list of ideas for hosting a fantastic Kentucky Derby party.

That’s right, you can add an embellishment here, or a banner there, but if you include the ideas shared here you’ll cover all the important bases for a derby viewing party including:

What’s more is that you won’t go crazy trying to pull it all together. Items are easy to access, and set up is a breeze. That’s a good thing since the race itself only lasts 2 minutes!

Plan the party to start a couple of hours before the final race so you can build up anticipation, have some cocktails, and place your bets.

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Party Décor

• Cover the refreshment tables with a moss runner. It will emulate the field and provide a fantastic base for food and drink. Alternatives include a turf grass runner or a simple green table cloth.
• Pick up toy horses from the Dollar Tree and add numbered sheets to their back like the horses wear in the race. Simply cut a long rectangle of felt fabric and attach a number stickers to the sides.
• Place a few horseshoes on the table.
• Place a dozen red roses inside a silver urn or trophy cup. Shop thrift shops for vintage silver trophy cups to add old world charm.
• The addition of awards ribbons can be a nice touch, too. Just lay them on the table or hang them banner-style.

Incorporate Hats

Use hats as décor. Place 1 or 2 on a tall stand. Here I used a wreath stand to anchor one end of the table with height.

What To Wear

Make sure the ladies wear large, over the top hats! Sundresses, colorful day dresses, or floral, flowy dresses are customary.

The gents can wear fedoras or newsboy caps, and bow ties. Light colored linen suits or pants are on brand, as well as linen shirts and vests.

Food for a Derby Party

Serve these quintessential derby dishes to your guests:

• I suggest you serve bourbon meatballs. Everyone loves them and bourbon IS part of the theme here!
• Make the best deviled eggs with bacon for your guests to snack on. They’re addictive to eat!
• Easy 3-ingredient bacon-wrapped crackers are another delicious appetizer to serve. Make the savory or sweet version, or both!
• Put these ham and sweet potato biscuits on the buffet for a sweet and savory combo that’s a southern delight.
• Put out bowls filled with sweet & spicy pecans for guests to nibble on.
• You also need to serve mini hot browns for a bite size take on the traditional sandwich.
• Make-ahead Benedictine spread with cracker and cut veggies.
• Classic mint juleps made with a good quality Kentucky bourbon.

See recipes below.

Baby Hot Browns

• 10 mini biscuits – I find them in refrigerator cans containing 5 biscuits each
• 1 ½ cups diced deli turkey
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• about 6 or 7 plum tomatoes, sliced

Cheese sauce

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 ½ cups (4 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

1. Cook biscuits according to package directions.  Let cool and slice in half.  Set aside.
2. To make cheese sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over low heat and add flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk; cooking over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add Cheddar cheese, while whisking until cheese melts. Stir in diced turkey, salt, and ground red pepper.
3. Top biscuit halves with cheese & turkey mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan and half of bacon. Cook at 375º F for about 5 minutes or until Parmesan is melted.
4. Remove and top with a slice of tomato and sprinkle with remaining bacon.

Make this Benedictine as a dip or a spread. It’s a southern tradition at parties, from baby showers to bridesmaids luncheons. It’s also terrific to make stuffed cherry tomatoes as part of an appetizer buffet.

Benedictine Dip or Spread

• 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 cucumber, peeled and grated – use 1 English (Hothouse) cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers; both are seedless.
• About ¼ of an onion, grated
• 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

1. Drain all the moisture out of the grated cucumber and pat dry with a paper towel.  Do the same with the onion.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate a couple of hours or over night so flavors can marry.
3. Serve as a dip for crackers and veggies, or spread on white bread to make small tea sandwiches.  Cut off crusts and serve.

Make these easy DIY “jockey whip” drink stirrers. Use thin ribbon in different colors and tie them on to the ends of wooden skewers for a decorative touch to the glass.

I don’t know anyone who has enough silver julep cups for a party. I think the next best thing to do for a crowd is to use 8 oz. canning jars. They keep that Southern feel and they’re economical too.

Drinks

Naturally you’ll want to serve mint juleps. It’s a Derby day tradition!

To change things up a little try these Southern Kentucky Mule cocktails. For a refreshing twist, add a bourbon ginger lemonade cocktail to the bar.

For added fun, set up a bourbon bar and let guests try some new brands or flavors.

Dessert

• Bourbon pecan pie is a derby classic, but why not serve it in mini pie shells so guests can grab and go. You can use muffin tins for the perfect portion size, or you can “cheat” by picking up some minis at the bakery.
• Try this Kahlúa pecan pie for a wonderful twist, or this pecan pie trifle as a dessert centerpiece.
• Whip up a batch of bourbon balls to serve on the sweets table and to package as guest party favors. These bite size desserts can be made up to a week ahead of time.
• These pecan pie bars are a delicious option too, since there are no utensils required.

Place Your Bets

Part of the fun of the race is picking a horse to root for. Make this part or the day’s activity with a little pre-planning.

Gather the names of the horses, the horses numbers, the odds for them to win, and other stats if you like, and let guests make bets as follows:

• Win – the horse to come in 1st.
• Place – the horse to come in 1st or 2nd.
• Show – the horse to come in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.

The system is similar to a game of poker. Everyone add money to the pot and winners take all or divide amongst each other.

Party Favors

Win or lose the race, send your guests home with themed favors.

• Mini bottles of bourbon are a great take home gift for the southern gents.
• While packaged bourbon balls are a sweet treat for the belles.

Will you be hosting a Kentucky Derby party or watching the race on Saturday? Make sure to include some of these fun tips and recipes!