Fifty years ago, sports history was made when Jockey Diane Crump became the first female to ride in The Kentucky Derby. This year, Woodward Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon is honoring Crump’s milestone race with Woodford Reserve’s $1,000 and $2,500 Mint Julep Cups. Exclusively for 2020, the annual commemorative program has created the Diane Crump Blackberry Mint Julep cocktail recipe and has produced 146 silver- and gold-plated commemorative julep cups celebrating Derby 146 and Crump’s achievement. 

In the 1970 Derby, Crump rode a racehorse named Fathom and, although the thoroughbred finished 15th, Crump won a place in the history books. Woodford Reserve’s 50thanniversary cups have special meaning to the distillery and its parent company, Brown-Forman, which this year celebrates its 150th anniversary: Fathom was owned by a Brown family member — W.L. Lyons Brown.

The cups feature etchings of the jockey silks worn in 1970 by Crump, along with the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs. Each cup is nestled in a walnut case with a replica of turquoise and white silks that Crump wore that historic day. The silver and gold-plated cups were designed and handcrafted by the Vault Jewelers in Louisville, Kentucky, with silks made by Bourbon Cousins of Cincinnati.

“The $1,000 Mint Julep program has become a cherished Derby tradition, and this year we are honored to mark an important moment in Derby history while also raising money for charity,” says Chris Morris, Woodford Reserve Master Distiller. Proceeds from the cup sales will be donated in Crump’s honor to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

Now available at www.woodfordreservemintjulep.com, cups numbered 1 through 25 are gold-plated and priced at $2,500 each; cups 26 through 146 are silver-plated, selling for $1,000. Woodford Reserve created the Diane Crump Blackberry Mint Julep – featuring the official fruit of Kentucky – in the jockey’s honor.

Diane Crump Blackberry Mint Julep

2 oz. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon

1 bar spoon Blackberry Preserves

1 bar spoon Simple Syrup

Mint Bitters

Fresh Blackberries and Mint Sprigs, for garnish

Crushed Ice

At the bottom of the julep cup mix 1 bar spoon of blackberry preserves and 1 bar spoon of simple syrup. Add 2 – 4 dashes of mint bitters. Fill two-thirds of a cup with crushed ice. Add sipping straw and Woodford Reserve Bourbon. Top off cup with more crushed ice (packed in). Top with fresh blackberries and a sprig of mint to garnish.