Buffalo Distillery Tries to Break Guinness Record for World’s Largest Mint Julep
Mint juleps are the traditional drink of choice for Kentucky Derby fans.
BUFFALO, NY – If you’re a fan of Hartman’s Distilling Co. on Chicago Street, horse racing or just mint juleps, this is an event for you.
The Buffalo business is trying to break the record for the world’s largest mint julep on Saturday. Hartman’s will serve 207 gallons of the cocktail to customers.
The event kicked off at 2 p.m. — about five hours before the Kentucky Derby’s postage time — and $1 from every mint julep sold during Saturday will be donated to the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center. The mint julep, in case you didn’t already know, is the traditional drink of choice for Kentucky Derby fans.
Justin Hartman, owner and president of Hartman’s Distilling Co., joined 2 On Your Side Friday afternoon during Most Buffalo.
Lauren Hall: You tried to do this for a few years, right?
Hartmann: Yes, it is an application process, we applied a few years ago and were finally accepted this year. So let’s move on.
Hall: For the Guinness Book of World Records. OK, so what’s the problem (Saturday)? Do they need to be present, on site, and how does it all work?
Hartman: As soon as they accepted us, we received a package with about six documents with all the steps we had to follow to create the biggest mint julep in the world. We have to bring in a health inspector. We need to have a weights and scales expert to certify all the scale weights, and they need to make sure that everything we say goes into the cocktail actually goes into the cocktail.
Hall: And you brought some examples today. Obviously this is just a regular-sized one, but what is a mint julep anyway?
Hartmann: One mint julep equals two ounces of bourbon. Here we have Hartman straight bourbon whiskey, half an ounce of simple syrup, mint on the bottom, crushed ice, and more mint as a garnish. So this only requires two ounces of bourbon for a 12 oz glass. For the 207-gallon glass we custom built, there will be 35 gallons of bourbon, nine gallons of simple syrup, over 20 pounds of mint, and about 600 pounds of crushed ice.
Hall: Do you know who holds the record now? And why did you want to break it?
Hartmann: Therefore, the official record is 158 gallons. However, Churchill Downs holds the unofficial record of 206, so we can beat the Churchill Downs record and achieve both.
In addition to the mint juleps, the Derby event includes an afternoon of horse racing, food and drink specials, live music, a DJ, giveaways for all races, as well as contests for best dressed and best hats.
