Kentucky Derby party tips: Food & drink recipes, games for the perfect gathering

The best 3-year-old thoroughbred race horses in the world are almost at the post for the 2025 Kentucky Derby.

Which means if you’re not heading to Churchill Downs on May 3 for the 151st running of the most exciting two minutes in sports, you need to move just as fast to plan the perfect Derby party.

But don’t fear. It’s surprisingly easy to put together a fun Derby watching party. Use this guide of party tips to help you plan a fun and festive celebration, whether you need help with food and drink recipes, fashion suggestions or game ideas.

First, you’ll need a way to watch the race, often called the Run for the Roses.

How to watch the Kentucky Derby on TV, streaming

You can watch the 2025 Kentucky Derby on May 3 on television on USA Network and NBC, starting at noon. You can also stream it live online on the Peacock app.

The post time for America’s oldest continuously held major sporting event is 6:57 p.m.

Last year’s Derby was watched by 16.7 million viewers, the largest Kentucky Derby audience since 1989.

Make your own Kentucky Derby hat

Nothing says the Kentucky Derby like hats, big, colorful hats.

Even though you might not be at the track, that does not mean you cannot have fun and show off your fancy headwear.

Sure, you can spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on a hat custom-made by an expert milliner, but you can also get creative and make your own at home from paper, flowers and a glue gun. Here’s a thought: Get a bunch of inexpensive headbands to make “fascinators.”

Kentucky Derby cocktails: Mint julep recipe

Here’s the secret to a great mint julep: ice. It’s true. They taste best cold.

Don’t bother with the premade mint julep drinks you can buy at the liquor store. Because a julep is basically fresh spearmint, simple syrup, ice and bourbon.

“The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book” by Joy Perrine and Susan Reigler has this recipe:

But here’s the truth: Mint juleps at the track are not that great. It’s about the experience of having one at Churchill Downs. So feel free to skip the julep and try another (and much tastier in many opinions) Derby cocktail: The Woodford Spire. It’s also served at Churchill and made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, which sponsors the Kentucky Derby.

Award-winning drink creator Heather Wibbels of Louisville, better known as the Cocktail Contessa online, likes to start Derby Day with a Bourbon Mimosa, which uses chocolate bitters and orange liqueur as well as champagne.

Another drink option for a Kentucky Derby party is bourbon slush, especially refreshing if it’s a hot Derby Day. But warning, you need to make it in advance because it does need time to freeze.

Still not enough? Here’s a drink recipe from Kentucky bourbon maker Knob Creek that’s sure to kick up your cocktail assortment.

Kentucky Derby recipe: Pecan pie with chocolate chips and bourbon

You probably know the one I’m talking about. It’s sometimes referred to as May Day Pie because of its association with the Derby. Kern’s Kitchen makes the original Derby Pie, a kind of corn syrup and pecan pie with chocolate chips and, sometimes, bourbon.

There are lots of variations on the theme, including versions that leave out bourbon entirely if that isn’t to your taste.

Lexington cookbook author Barbara Harper Bach, who knows her way around award-winning pies, has a unique take: She calls hers Racetrack Pie and dresses it up with bourbon whipped cream when serving. She also likes to put horse-themed cutouts on top while the pie bakes to give it a festive look.

Kentucky Derby recipe: Benedictine spread recipe

Other Kentucky specialties you can add to the feast as a possible appetizer include Benedictine sandwiches, a kind of cucumber spread created by Louisville caterer Jennie Benedict more than 100 years ago.

Cookbook author Ronni Lundy included a version in her “Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes and Honest Fried Chicken.” Serve on crustless white bread, with crackers or with veggies for dipping.

Kentucky Derby carryout food options

Many local restaurants and specialty grocers are having Kentucky Derby special takeout meals and platters for Derby parties.

Traditional standbys like Critchfield Meats Family Market can help you have a true Southern spread with beaten biscuits and country ham. Another option is the popular pimento cheese spread from The Mousetrap, which has been a Lexington specialty food shop since 1976.

Several popular local dining destinations offer preorders for Derby parties.

Wallace Station is serving up a picnic-ready meal of its tasty fried chicken that includes eight pieces of fried chicken, Midway Bakery biscuits, broccoli cheddar casserole, potato salad, hot honey, bourbon chocolate pecan pie and a choice of a 6-pack of Ale-8 or a 4-pack of West Sixth Sixer.

The deadline has passed to preorder Crank & Boom’s chocolate Bourbon Pie ice cream, but you might be able to drop by and pick up a pint. If you can’t, the new collaboration between Graeter’s Ice Cream and Newport’s New Riff Distilling will do the trick: Bourbon Ball Ice Cream.

Kentucky Derby party games

Before the days of OTB, DraftKings or FanDuel, you had to stick with the tried and true old school games at a Derby Party.

▪ There’s the simple game of picking horses’ names out of a hat — a game of chance, put all the horses’ names in a hat and each player gets to pick a horse. No strategy needed, and you can decide how much it costs to pick a horse.

▪ Feel like turning it up? Make use of an empty bourbon bottle by having 20 people stand in a circle, then spin the bottle. Wherever it lands, that person gets their pick of the Derby field. Make your way down until all horses are taken.

▪ Another popular Derby game is one where you auction off each individual horse. Players bid on the horse they think will win the Derby and the highest bidder owns the horse. Start bidding on the horse with the longest odds, and work your way up to the morning line favorite.

This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Kentucky Derby party tips: Food & drink recipes, games for the perfect gathering."

Brian Simms

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-379-9041

Brian Simms has been with the Herald-Leader for 20-plus years, most recently reporting and editing coverage of restaurants, bars, food and bourbon. He is also a photographer and manages the newspapers photo archive that dates back to the late 1930s. Support my work with a digital subscription