Four Roses and Kentucky Derby Festival Name ‘Best of the Best’ Juleps this Derby Season

For Immediate Release – March 17, 2022

‘The Petal Pusher’ and ‘Storm Cloud Over the Downs’ both named People’s Choice in Rose Julep Cocktail Competition  

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 17, 2022) – Eight bartenders from across the region competed for top honors at the 19th Annual Rose Julep Cocktail Competition at Mellwood Arts Center as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival’s “Festival Unveiled” event on Wednesday, March 16.

New in 2022, Four Roses invited only previous winners of the Rose Julep Cocktail Competition to go head-to-head in an effort to determine which creative julep recipe of the past truly stands out above all.

For the first time ever, the competition ended in a tie, with two mixologists taking home top honors, cash prizes and a shiny julep cup trophy. Colleen McCarthy of Louisville’s Martini Italian Bistro and Bill Whitlow of Cininnati’s Rich’s Proper Food & Drink both claimed the first place People’s Choice title for their julep recipes.

McCarthy’s ‘The Petal Pusher’ is composed of Four Roses Single Barrel, lavender syrup, grapefruit juice, grapefruit bitters, grapefruit Italian soda and mint.

Whitlow’s ‘Storm Cloud Over the Downs’ is made with Four Roses Single Barrel, China-China liqueur, Spanish brandy, chocolate bitters, orange blossom water, smoked maple syrup, bananas foster syrup and mint.

The top eight finalists who qualified for this year’s competition included:

1. Bill Whitlow, Rich’s Proper Food & Drink, Covington, Ky.
2. Colleen McCarthy, Martini Italian Bistro, Louisville, Ky.
3. Giacomo Ciminello, Woodburn Brewing, Cincinnati, Ohio
4. Isaac Fox, La Chasse, Louisville, Ky.
5. Jason Stark, Martini Italian Bistro, Louisville, Ky.
6. Mark Corley, The Silver Dollar, Louisville, Ky.
7. Natalie White, Belle’s Cocktail House, Lexington, Ky.
8. Oliver Winn, Belle’s Cocktail House, Lexington, Ky.

The event drew hundreds of people who sampled the competitors’ cocktails and voted for the first, second and third place winners. The winning cocktails will be served at the mixologists’ respective bars and restaurants throughout the Kentucky Derby Festival season.

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 About Four Roses Distillery
Established in 1888, Four Roses combines two mashbills with five proprietary yeast strains to distill and age 10 distinct Bourbon recipes, each with its own unique flavor profile. With distilling and warehousing operations in Lawrenceburg and Cox’s Creek, Kentucky, respectively, Four Roses is dedicated to producing award-winning Bourbons with smooth and mellow tastes and finishes. Four Roses is available in all 50 states. For more information, visit www.fourrosesbourbon.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Contact:
Lauren Burdette
(502) 435-6684
[email protected]

Lauren Marcum 
(859) 619-3793 
[email protected]