Birds, Books and Bourbon

This week was the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes, the third jewel of the Triple Crown of horse racing at Belmont Park, NY. Horse racing has been under the microscope recently with Churchill Downs suspending all racing operations in the wake of an unusually high number of equine fatalities surrounding the Kentucky Derby. As an owner of a beloved OTTB (off-the-track-Thoroughbred), I am all too familiar with how fragile these majestic animals are and how devastating apparently simple injuries can be. I still can’t help but admire the athleticism, the training, and the investment in time and money that can produce a Secretariat or an American Pharoah. I can join in the excitement of such wins while feeling sorrow at the casualties along the way. This year, the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s historic 31 length victory, was also the first year a female trainer took to the winner’s circle in the Triple Crown. Girl Power!

The state bird of New York is a frequent visitor to our feeders – the Eastern Bluebird. The male is a vibrant blue on back and head and brown breasted, the female a demure grey with blue highlights. The juvenile is spotted and has striking “feed me” eyes. Insectivores and fruit eaters, they will return time and again to my feeders to pick out the mealworms. Fun fact from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Go Big Red!): bluebirds usually raise 2-3 broods a year, and the later babies often winter with their parents while the earlier juveniles get kicked to the curb after only about 3 weeks, though the male will continue to help feed them while the female sits on her second nest of eggs. Although their diet is about 2/3 insects, in addition to fruit they may also be found to eat salamanders, shrews, snakes, lizards, and tree frogs.

All the Triple Crown races have their own “official” cocktail. The Belmont drink has changed 3 times – from the original White Carnation to the Belmont Breeze, to the latest simple Belmont Jewel in 2011. The original recipe calls for just three ingredients – Bourbon, Lemonade, and Pomegranate juice. I am not a big fan of commercial fruit juice in my cocktails so I left out the lemonade and used fresh squeezed lemon juice/ sugar syrup instead and topped it with a splash of soda water to temper the sweetness. I called it Big Red’s Belmont Jewel. Did you know that Secretariat’s barn name was also Big Red? Cornell is in good company.

Gather your ingredients: Bourbon (I used Woodford Reserve which I always have on hand after the Derby), Pomegranate juice, lemon, sugar syrup, Old Fashioned glass filled with ice, cocktail shaker, garnish of choice (I used mint because ours has exploded recently + a lemon wheel). Optional soda water or any sparkling water to top off if you prefer a Spritzer. Do not add the sparkling beverage to your shaker, unless you want a faceful of Belmont Jewel. I used a lemon squeezer and a kitchen scale to measure my ingredients (not shown).

My reading for the week is the start of a new series for me by Natalie Keller Rhinert: the Alex and Alexander Series, which is her introduction to the Thoroughbred racing industry. Rhinert has multiple collections with overlapping characters and locations in Florida. The Alex characters were first explored in the Eventing series starting with Ambition viewed above, and I am looking forward to seeing where she goes with this one. The books are easy reading for equestrians and non-equestrians alike.

Hope you enjoy! And remember, please drink responsibly 🙂