Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Prices May Make You Dry Heave A Little Bit

Everyone knows the Kentucky Derby is about three things: horses, stupid hats, and mint juleps.

The mint julep is famously the signature drink of the first leg of the Triple Crown, and if the thought of $16 beers at a sporting event made you feel nauseous, mint juleps at the Kentucky Derby would like a word.

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Those in attendance are no doubt guzzling these bad boys — probably double-fisting them, too — which should have the eyes of the folks at Churchill Downs turning into dollar signs like characters from a Tex Avery cartoon.

That's because the going rate for the beverage this year is $22.

Now, I'm torn on this. I think $22 is probably what you're going to spend on a cocktail at most events these days, or in some high-falutin bar just about anywhere.

Considering the volume of mint juleps they're selling, you'd think maybe they'd be willing to drop the price a tad, but I guess people are paying it, so why not keep ramping up until they no longer will?

So, enjoy those $22 drinks, because in just a few years, they could feel like a novelty compared to the prices years down the line.

Well, if you want to pay an obscene amount for a beverage. Churchill Downs is happy to oblige.

They're offering a special mint julep with a price tag of $5,000.

Are you kidding me? Some lady with a big hat is going to see that price and pass out after saying, "Oooooh, the vapors!"

I think we could all tell the difference between a mint julep made with bottom-shelf booze and something made with a nicer whiskey, but I doubt most of us could tell the difference between a drink made with a $75 bottle of whiskey and one worth more than the typical down payment on a new Kia.

But if you've got that kind of money and that's what you want to do with it, who am I to tell you that you're a drooling idiot for wasting your money like that?