O Me, O My O – Horse’s Neck Cocktail Toasts Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo
Since the Kentucky Derby is always the first Saturday in May and Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for the “fifth of May” it stands to reason these two events would fall on the same day every seven years. If you include the years where they fall on the same weekend as Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday combos its nearly half the time. How are you going celebrate them both?
If your home is host to a Kentucky Derby party you can’t go wrong mixing up some Mint Juleps to drink along with the chocolate bourbon balls a.k.a. southern truffles you set on the bar top for snacks. Paying homage to Cinco de Mayo with a themed combination might include a spicy Margarita paired with some roasted pumpkin seeds a.k.a. pepitas.
But, is there a common bond between the social soiree and the folk festival that could be used to tie everything together? What kind of party animal would enjoy both occasions?
Horses Neck And Neck In Louisville & Puebla
With the Run for the Roses a race for three year old thoroughbreds, the Kentucky Derby animal is obviously a horse of course. What is less apparent is how this relates to Cinco de Mayo.
This holiday is not Mexican Independence Day ( which is actually September 16th ), Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s victory over France in the battle of Puebla in 1862. The tie in hinges around the important role of the Mexican cavalry who decimated the French horsemen which helped the army to achieve a nearly impossible triumph overall while being outnumbered over 3 to 2.
If that seems like a stretch, don’t worry about it. The horse’s neck cocktail certainly honors the spirit of Derby Day and since Cinco de Mayo has evolved into just an excuse to drink, cheers to the thoroughbred tipple and their jockeys.
Behind The Bar – How To Make The Horse’s Neck Cocktail At Home
This libation has the bartender take artistic liberty with the lemon peel garnish and gives the drink its name. Done correctly, a long twist of the yellow citrus is shaped to resemble a horse head & neck looking over the rim into the glass.
Horse’s Neck Cocktail Recipe & Garnishing Instructions:
- 1 ½ oz bourbon whiskey
- 5 oz ginger ale
- 1 lemon peel spiral garnish
Start preparing this drink by using a channel knife to cut an extra long spiral of lemon peel and an empty highball or collins glass. Place the garnish in the bottom curling up and around the sides of the glass while leaving enough to hang over the rim. Shape into a horse’s neck and head and fill with ice down the middle of the spiral citrus twist. Add the bourbon and top with ginger ale to complete the cocktail.
So, let your home bar set the stage for a combination celebration by serving up Horse’s Neck cocktails when the Kentucky Derby runs alongside Cinco de Mayo coupled with some southern food with roots even farther south.
