The second race of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, is scheduled for Saturday in Baltimore. A nod to the state's official flower—theyellow-pedaled black-eyed Susan—are Friday's races by the same name, which kick off at 11:30 a.m. at Pimlico Race Course. Also an ode to the flower: the Preakness's official drink since the 1950s, the black-eyed Susan cocktail.
While the official drink of the Kentucky Derby is the bourbon-y mint julep, the black-eyed Susan calls for both bourbon and vodka. According to the Preakness Stakes website, the black-eyed Susan cocktail is made with one part bourbon, one part vodka, one part peach schnapps, two parts orange juice and two parts sour mix. All of the ingredients are shaken together with ice and then served over crushed ice with an orange wedge and cherries for garnish.
Specific brands of alcohol, like Effen vodka and Maker's Mark bourbon, are used at the racecourse, but any type will do for mixing the drinks at home.
"The drink's creators have reinvented it several times over the years, but today's recipe may stand the test of time," the Preakness site says. These reinventions could be the reason there are several versions of recipes for the cocktail.
Variations on the cocktail include rum instead of bourbon and orange liqueur instead of schnapps in addition to pineapple juice as a mixer. The recipe on the US Racing site gives actual measurements for each ingredient, which are especially helpful for those who want to make an entire batch of the cocktails. Another recipe includes most of the ingredients from all of the variations in one, The Washington Post reported.
Those planning to indulge in the cocktail, whatever the ingredients, might want to take the racing tip of pacing themselves. Saturday's races—of which there are 14—are set to start 10:30 a.m. The Preakness is 1.19 miles long, or 9.5 furlongs, according to Triple Crown Races. The race is run on a dirt track like the derby, and it happens two weeks after that race.
The Belmont Stakes—the third race in the series—are set to happen in June, three weeks following the Preakness.
Pimlico Race Course did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment.
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Nina was a breaking news reporter. She previously worked at Business Insider, The Boston Globe, and Boston.com.
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