The Preakness Cocktail
A year ago, when the Kentucky Derby ran for the 150th time, everyone knew what to quaff: the Mint Julep. This year, the Preakness reaches that same milestone, but we cheekily suggest you drink something other than the official cocktail (the Black-Eyed Susan). No, the best toast is with a drink that shares the name of the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Run two weeks after the Derby, Baltimore’s Preakness Stakes is a furlong shorter with tight turns. A typically smaller field often provides a wire-to-wire winner. At the same time, local festivals show off the city’s culinary specialties. The Preakness cocktail, a melding of rye, vermouth and liqueur, captures the area’s spirit with the whiskey’s historical connection to Maryland.
So why isn’t it the event’s official libation? Probably because it broke from the gate too early. The Preakness cocktail was conjured in 1936 when a local barman won a contest to create the signature drink for a ball celebrating the race. At the time, horse races didn’t have official cocktails. The Mint Julep wouldn’t be so anointed for another three years. The Preakness waited until 1973 to name one—making a strange choice. The elements of a Black-Eyed Susan suggest other regions: vodka (Russia), Bourbon (Kentucky) and orange juice (Florida). The name references the state flower, a blanket of which is supposed to adorn the winner’s neck. (In reality, they use a stand-in flower as black-eyed Susans don’t bloom for another month.)
For geographic integrity, the Preakness should be made with a Maryland-style rye (high corn content), like Old Overholt or Pikesville. The liqueur is Bénédictine, a wild flavor ride including saffron, cardamon, coffee, cloves and ginger. The original recipe called for just a teaspoonful, but at that amount you run the risk of creating a cocktail that is as forgettable as a Derby champion that doesn’t win the Preakness.
1 ½ oz. bonded rye whiskey
¾ oz. sweet (red) vermouth
½ oz. Bénédictine
1 dash bitters
Stir all ingredients over ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.
