Mint Julep Month Kickoff Party

From left: Christian Bryant, Claire Robinson, and Drew Tybus sip on specialty juleps to toast Mint Julep Month.

Featured Mint Julep Month bartenders pose with their original cocktails. From left: Matt Lofink, Stacie Stewart, Ryan Casey, and Kellie Thorn.

From left: Kristin Kelly, Mignonne Gavigan, and Pauline Sokol Nakios sip on cocktails with paper straws to support Maker’s Mark’s efforts to improve our environment.

Chef Newman Miller of Star Hill Provisions at Maker’s Mark Distillery shares his Kentucky Country Ham Toasts with Gigi Burris and pairs them with Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon.

From left: Blair Clark, Rebecca Darwin, and Cleo Battle raise a glass to Mint Julep Month.

The Carolina Gents perform bluegrass music throughout the afternoon event.

From left: Matthew Evins, Katie Alland, and Rob Samuels toast Mint Julep Month.

Andee Olson and Lindsay Pratt try original twists on the classic Southern mint julep.

Ryan Casey’s specialty julep: Nature’s Sweet Restorer, with an herbal citrus twist.

Cressida Suttles poses with a julep during the brunch.

Rheana Murray and Sara Forney sip on Kellie Thorn’s julep: A Study in Pink.

The classic Maker’s Mark mint julep.

Guests mingle on the terrace of the Gramercy Park Hotel.

Stacey Yates and Cleo Battle toast the start of Mint Julep Month—a thirty-day celebration of the iconic Southern cocktail.

From left: Sally Cade Holmes and Reed Wilkerson enjoy Ryan Casey’s and Kellie Thorn’s julep creations.

Stacie Stewart of Louisville made the Fourth Turn with light, bubbly notes with the veteran Derby-goer in mind.