{"id":2991,"date":"2026-05-02T19:07:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T18:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/?p=2991"},"modified":"2026-05-02T19:07:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T18:07:21","slug":"kentucky-derbys-5000-mint-julep-is-back-for-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/?p=2991","title":{"rendered":"Kentucky Derby\u2019s $5,000 Mint Julep Is Back For 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-journey-body=\"standard-article\">\n<div class=\"css-hl6xtf e1wzc3k51\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.delish.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/clock-regular.4ddebeb.svg\" alt=\"Estimated read time\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><span class=\"css-1rzbsk9 e1wzc3k50\">2 min read<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1jx1kps etlajd2\">\n<div data-theme-key=\"collapsible-section\" class=\"css-p1fz9n e1q3dcg6\">\n<h3 data-theme-key=\"collapsible-header\" class=\"css-1fv4nwp e1q3dcg5\"><button aria-label=\"Hide Key Points section\" aria-expanded=\"true\" data-theme-key=\"collapsible-header-button\" class=\"css-ec8vqf e1q3dcg4\"><\/p>\n<p>Key Points<\/p>\n<div data-theme-key=\"collapsible-icon-wrapper\" data-collapsible-open=\"true\" class=\"css-lhm19 e1q3dcg0\"><span data-testid=\"iconRight\" data-theme-key=\"collapsible-icon-right\" class=\"css-1ep4808 e1q3dcg1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.delish.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/caret-right-regular.a6ec664.svg\" alt=\"Caret Right\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/h3>\n<div aria-hidden=\"false\" data-theme-key=\"collapsible-section-text\" class=\"css-nzvxqj e1q3dcg3\">\n<div class=\"css-ex91la etlajd1\">\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Churchill Downs is once again offering $2,000 and $5,000 Mint Julep Charity Cups for the Kentucky Derby.<\/li>\n<li>Only 152 hand-crafted cups were made, with proceeds benefiting Closely Crafted.<\/li>\n<li>This year\u2019s julep recipe includes a more patriotic spin, with maple syrup and spices tied to early American history.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"0\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">The Mint Julep and the Kentucky Derby go together\u2014some would say\u2014even better than peanut butter and jelly. The iconic drink has been a Derby staple for nearly a century, and each year, more than 125,000 juleps are enjoyed by guests around the racetrack. Traditionally made with bourbon, sugar, fresh mint, and crushed ice, the Mint Julep is getting a very expensive makeover at Churchill Downs this year.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"1\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">While attendees can order a classic julep all day long, there is also a much more elevated version available\u2014one that adds a serious chunk of change to the day\u2019s festivities, though at least it is for a good cause.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"2\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">As part of the Kentucky Derby, Woodford Reserve is once again hosting its $2,000 and $5,000 Mint Julep Charity Cup program, with all net proceeds going to <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.closelycrafted.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.closelycrafted.org\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Closely Crafted\" data-node-id=\"2.3\" class=\"body-link css-8bav6j emevuu60\">Closely Crafted<\/a>. The cups can be pre-purchased and picked up at the racetrack during the $5,000 Mint Julep Experience at either the Kentucky Oaks or the Kentucky Derby, though some may also be available for purchase on the day of. Still, only a very lucky few will actually get their hands on one.<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"watch-next\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-22\" data-node-id=\"3\" class=\"embed\"\/>\n<section data-embed=\"instagram\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-23\" data-node-id=\"4\" class=\"embed\"\/>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"5\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">The high price tag isn\u2019t just about what\u2019s in the cup; it&#8217;s also due to the cup itself. In honor of the 152nd Kentucky Derby, 152 hand-crafted julep cups were created by local jeweler Graham Newton of From the Vault. The designs pay tribute to both the Derby and the 250th anniversary of the United States, featuring a sterling silver horse-and-stars applique and 13 lab-created white sapphires.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"6\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Of those 152 cups, 76 are made of polished pewter and sell for $2,000, while the other 76 are gold-plated sterling silver and priced at $ 5,000. Both versions come with a sterling silver sipping straw finished with a copper W\/R topper.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"7\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">The <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.woodfordreserve.com\/woodford-reserve-2k-and-5k-mint-julep-cup\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/shop.woodfordreserve.com\/woodford-reserve-2k-and-5k-mint-julep-cup\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"$5,000 Mint Julep Experience\" data-vars-membership-link=\"https:\/\/shop.woodfordreserve.com\/woodford-reserve-2k-and-5k-mint-julep-cup\/\" data-node-id=\"7.1\" data-href=\"https:\/\/shop.woodfordreserve.com\/woodford-reserve-2k-and-5k-mint-julep-cup\/\" class=\"css-8bav6j e1aq0z090\">$5,000 Mint Julep Experience<\/a> is not new this year, but the garnishes have a particularly 2026 feel. Each drink is topped with a red rose, along with blue and white flowers to nod to the country\u2019s 250th birthday. The recipe itself also changes a bit from year to year, and this time around, the simple syrup includes maple syrup, along with cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg\u2014a mix meant to reflect sweeteners and spices tied to early American history, including some said to be favorites of Thomas Jefferson. How patriotic!<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"8\" class=\"css-6wxqfj emevuu60\">Some people come to the Derby for the fashion, and others come for the horses. But the real winners know it\u2019s all about showing up for the juleps. That\u2019s something I\u2019ll bet on.<\/p>\n<section data-embed=\"editorial-link\" data-lazy-id=\"P0-24\" data-node-id=\"9\" class=\"embed\">\n<aside data-nitrous-content-id=\"recirculation_unit_more_food_news\" class=\"css-1i29kyj e94w1mj3\"\/><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2 min read Key Points Churchill Downs is once again offering $2,000 and $5,000 Mint Julep Charity Cups for the Kentucky Derby. Only 152 hand-crafted cups were made, with proceeds benefiting Closely Crafted. This year\u2019s julep recipe includes a more patriotic spin, with maple syrup and spices tied to early [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupcake.website\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}