Magdalena, a Maryland Bistro in The Ivy Hotel partnered with Uncle Nearest premium whiskey to create a Preakness-inspired cocktail ahead of this weekend’s event. The Laws and Lilies libation honors the contributions of Black jockeys in the early days of American horse racing. Emmanuel S. West, Jr., director of food & beverage, The Ivy Hotel, crafted the cocktail using Uncle Nearest’s 1856 Premium Whiskey.

Uncle Nearest’s mission is to reclaim the story of the best whiskey maker the world never knew: Nathan “Nearest” Green. “Collaborating with Nearest Green’s great-great-granddaughter and the brand’s 1884 Master Blender, Ms. Victoria Eady Butler, is one of the most exciting opportunities of my career,” said West, Jr. “Together we’re encouraging everyone to revisit a portion of history that has been excluded both in the whiskey and horse racing communities.”

The cocktail’s name asks the question, what’s in a name? Some of the Black athletes that inspired the drink include George “Spider” Anderson, the first Black jockey to win Preakness in 1889; and Isaac Murphy, three-time Kentucky Derby champion and two-time Belmont Stakes winner.

The cocktail debuted May 1 and will be available through the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Laws and Lilies Recipe

Ingredients

1.5 ounces Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey

1-ounce Triple Crown Syrup

3 parts Rare Tea Cellars Earl Grey Tea

1-part Rare Tea Cellars Mint Meritage Tea

32 ounces granulated sugar

32 fluid ounces hot water

.5 ounces Ramazzotti Aperitivo Rosato

1 piece hibiscus flower in syrup, drained and halved (garnish)

1 piece orange peel, a strip with pith removed (garnish)

Put tea into tea sachets. Layer into sugar, top with hot water. Stir occasionally to dissolve sugar. Allow to steep until cool. Strain out tea/tea sachets.

Fill a glass mixer with ice. Add Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey, syrup and Rosato. Stir with a cocktail spoon. Strain into a rocks glass over a large cube. Garnish with hibiscus flower and orange zest.