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Celebrate the Kentucky Derby with 4 fascinating facts about mint juleps

Feel fancy at home with your own official mint julep cups.

Photo courtesy of Woodford Reserve

The Kentucky Derby, or "the greatest two minutes in sports," is this Saturday, May 4, but don't worry — there's still time to press your seersucker suit, find a fabulous hat, and gather the ingredients you'll need for round after round of mint juleps.

The Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Kentucky, has been partnering with the Kentucky Derby for the last two decades, and to honor that collaboration we've put together a few fun facts about the famous Southern cocktail.

Read on to learn more, then stock up on Woodford Reserve bourbon, the Derby's official presenting sponsor, before Saturday.

80 years and counting
The mint julep has been the official cocktail of the Kentucky Derby since 1939, shortly after Prohibition ended. Traditionally, juleps are made using ice, simple syrup, mint, and bourbon.

If you're feeling extra fancy ...
For the last 14 years, Woodford Reserve has been selling a limited-edition julep served in an actual silver or gold cup. Made using local ingredients — some as local as from the actual race track — the special cocktail always sells out. The price for these posh drinks? $1,000 for a silver cup and $2,500 for gold.

Drink for a good cause
Each year, Woodford Reserve selects a charitable organization to receive the net proceeds from the silver mint julep cups sold at the Kentucky Derby. To date, more than $600,000 has been raised for equine and humanitarian causes. This year's recipient is the John Asher Memorial Scholarship Fund at Western Kentucky University. Asher was a longtime vice president of racing communications and spokesman of Churchill Downs who was beloved by many; he died suddenly in August 2018 at age 62.

Participate from afar
Can't attend the actual race? There are still ways to feel part of the action. Some of the special mint julep cups are still for sale at www.woodfordreserve.com, or you can purchase this year's limited edition Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Kentucky Derby bottle. The commemorative bottle features artwork by Keith Anderson, who during the day works at the Bourbon Street Cafe inside the Brown-Forman headquarters. It's the second year in a row that this budding artist has had the honor of being featured on the highly sought-after bottle.

How to make the 2019 Kentucky Derby mint julep cocktail:

Ingredients
2 oz. Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight bourbon
2 bar spoons of Inspired honey sweetener
2 mint leaves
Shaved honeycomb and a sprig of mint for garnish

Instructions
Rub mint around the julep cup to express the essential oils, and place the mint leaf in the bottom of the cup.

Drizzle 2 bar spoons of honey sweetener in the cup, add 2 oz. of bourbon, and mix the ingredients together.

Pack ice into the cup, then place the sipping straw.

Layer loose ice on top, with a splash of bourbon to settle your drink.

Garnish with shaved honeycomb and a sprig of mint.

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Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 45.2% Alc. by Vol. The Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, KY. WOODFORD RESERVE is a registered trademark. ©2018 Brown-Forman. All rights reserved. CRAFTED CAREFULLY. DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

cocktails promoted sports drinks

Make that paper

This is how far a $100k salary goes in Austin, according to new study

Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash

Seven Texan cities appear in the study’s top 10 where a six-figure salary goes the furthest.

Many people daydream about making six figures in their career before they enter the workforce. But the rising cost of living certainly throws a wrench in the works. Luckily for Texans, a six-figure salary still goes pretty far in the state.

In a new report from SmartAsset, a $100,000 salary in Austin is worth an average of $73,777 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living. The financial technology company analyzed income in 76 United States cities, and adjusted them for the cost of living in each location. Austin ranked No. 24 on the list.

Seven Texan cities appear in the study’s top 10 where a six-figure salary goes the furthest. Houston ranked No. 6 as the fourth Texas city on the list, after El Paso (No. 2), Corpus Christi (No. 4), and Lubbock (No. 5). A Houstonian's six-figure salary is reduced to $74,515 after taxes, but is technically worth $81,350 when adjusted for the cost of living.

In a three-way tie with San Antonio for No. 7, a person who makes $100,000 a year in Fort Worth and Arlington takes home about $74,515 after taxes. When adjusted for the cost of living, which is seven percent lower than the national average, that money is worth $80,124.

Dallas appears at No. 34 on the list, with the average six-figure earner bringing home $72,345 after taxes. That salary shrinks in the northern Dallas suburb of Plano (No. 59), where the worker brings home $59,422.

The place where $100,000 goes the furthest is Memphis, Tennessee. Much like Texas, Tennessee doesn’t have a state income tax and has a lower cost of living in comparison to the national average.

After Memphis is El Paso, followed by Oklahoma City (No. 3), then Corpus Christi, Lubbock, and Houston. After the Texan three-way tie for No. 7, St. Louis, Missouri rounds out the top 10.

The 10 total Texas cities that appear in SmartAsset’s study include:

No. 2 – El Paso
No. 4 – Corpus Christi
No. 5 – Lubbock
No. 6 – Houston
No. 7 – Fort Worth, Arlington, San Antonio (tied)
No. 24 – Austin
No. 34 – Dallas
No. 59 – Plano

The report and its methodology can be found on SmartAsset’s website.

SmartAsset six figures texas salaries austin austin salaries

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