One thing you learn when you move to Kentucky is to never call a Bourbon “whiskey”…blasphemy I say! What is the difference between whiskey and bourbon you ask??? Here is a little lesson for those of you who have never lived in Kentucky and are unaware of this fact. You can only call a particular alcohol Bourbon if it was made in the state of Kentucky. Bourbon is basically a whiskey that has been fermented in barrels for a specific amount of time. Bourbon typically has a much sweeter taste than some of your other whiskeys…much smoother that those say… made in say “Tennessee”;) Similar to how you really should not call a sparkling wine “Champagne” unless it came directly from the region in France. When you live in Kentucky you take this Kentucky Proud product of Bourbon very seriously. I thought that for my second post for the Kentucky Derby I would create a yummy brunch recipe that calls for a wee bit of the “brown water” as we call it here in the Bluegrass….

You’re going to simmer it so that most of the alcohol comes out and you’re left with just the sweet sweet nectar of Bourbon flavor. These little parfaits would be great to serve up Derby Day or any weekend that you might be hosting a special brunch.

Here is what you will need to make your Bourbon syrup:

• 1/4 C Maker’s Mark Bourbon
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 T honey

Simmer in a small saucepan about 10 minutes until liquid is reduced by half. Pour into cup and let cool.

I layered some of my favorite flavors and you can of course add in some of yours to the mix and make it your own. The highlight of this little dish of course is the Bourbon syrup reduction that calls for just three ingredients and a little bit of time and then you’re left with a really smooth sweet syrup that would be equally great on pancakes I am sure. Just sayin…

For the parfaits you can use your favorite vanilla yogurt. I also added in some graham cracker crumbs, mini chocolate chips, vanilla yogurt ,sliced strawberries and raspberries and I topped it with my Bourbon glaze syrup. You could definitely make these a little bit ahead I would not make them too far ahead because then they look a little droopy. It’s very hard to photograph yogurt but I did my best and these were phenomenal!!

So wherever you live and whatever you’re doing this Saturday try to stop later in the day and celebrate the Run for the Roses as we do here in Kentucky all week long! Be sure to follow along on your favorite social channels and I will be sharing some of my Derby Day at the track this year. I’m very excited to get all dolled up! Go baby go!

This post was brought to you courtesy of The Kentucky Derby. I have been compensated for my time. All thoughts, projects, errors and photos are all mine.