Drinking mint juleps may be the ultimate Derby day ritual. But as my waitress at funky Lynn's Paradise Cafe in Louisville recently put it: "We only drink juleps once a year." Lynn's decadent Bourbon Ball milkshakes, on the other hand: "All the time."
I took one frozen sip of this vanilla whip of ice cream, walnuts, bourbon and chocolate chips, and I knew exactly what she meant. It was like sipping a cold ice cream truffle through a straw, sweet but deceptively potent. It was not unlike the ubiquitous bourbon ball chocolates that Kentucky is famous for, but it was even better. And I could make it at home before, during, and after the race.