This being the 150th edition of the Kentucky Derby, the hype is the highest it has ever been. This article should help make your party the best it can be, and to hopefully sell you our totally awesome stainless steel Giddy-Up Julep Cups!
Throwing a great Kentucky Derby party is all about capturing the spirit of the race: the excitement, the elegance, and the charm. You want your guests feeling like they're right at Churchill Downs.
The above photo is over the top for most parties, but we needed a good stock image to start the article off right.
You want to start but doing your best to create the ambiance of the Kentucky Derby at your party venue. We like black and gold as the primary colors (reminiscent of jockey silks), but reds are good too.
Incorporate horseshoes, horse figurines, and red roses (the official flower of the Kentucky Derby) into your centerpieces and table settings. If you don't want to splurge on red roses, get yourself a tablecloth that has roses in it, like this one which has roses and is a derby themed.
The best Derby party scenes involve live horses, so don't forget to rent several horses to roam your property with a 12 person clean up crew to follow behind them. This can really make or break a party. Do this early as horses run out of stock fast! (satire alert, just checking if you're still paying attention. If so, congrats, you're among the 1% that don't just skim.)
Probably the most important aspect of a good party is to provide a proper mint julep bar, and the key to making a julep is to nail the ice. If you provide ice cubes, you fail right off the bat. Crushed ice is a must!
Crushed Ice Options:
1) Use the crushed ice button on your refrigerator (but you'll probably run out of ice in the first 30 minutes).
2) Have a dedicated person to smash ice with a mallet and a Lewis bag (we do not recommend it for several reasons, which we don't need to beat up).
3) Find crushed ice to buy somewhere. Good luck with that. It's hard to find. You can also smash it right in the bag of ice. It's just difficult to get it fine enough without ripping the bag.
4) Use a blender and fill up a very large insulated ice bucket (like this one from Real Deal Steel [that's us!]. This will keep your ice available all party, it's much classier and accessible than a cooler and will not sweat.
5) Buy an ice crusher and bagged ice and have the guests do it themselves or fill up an ice bucket periodically. Don't chince though ... buy quality, here is a good one.
Have Two Juleps on the Menu, one with a virgin option, and actually make a physical menu with instructions. Use this example if you like:
Classic Mint Julep - You'll need:
Fresh Mint - Bourbon - Crushed Ice - Bar Spoon - Scoop
Example Of a Second Option. You could also call it your party's signature Julep
Blackberry Mint Julep (Mocktail Option Provided) - You'll need:
Fresh Mint - Fresh Blackberries - Bourbon - Lemonade - Crushed Ice - Bar Spoon - Scoop
Please consider using Real Deal Steel Mint Julep Cups. We have every option including personalized cups and bulk order pricing. Please view our collection on our website HERE: or on AMAZON HERE
You think kids like kiddy cocktails, just imagine their elation over a junior julep! Try snowcone flavoring or grenadine, crushed ice, and a gummy garnish. Serve in these stainless steel 3 oz RDS Espresso Cups or 10oz Kids Cups.
Create a playlist of classic Southern and horse racing-themed music to keep the party atmosphere lively between races. Provide some activities to keep guests entertained.
Horse shoes is of course great if you have a setup. This horse racing game is always a big hit at parties! The one pictured below was impressively crafted by a guest out of wood, but if you don't want to quit your job to free up time for that, you can buy one here. Have plenty of pennies (or $100 bills if that's your speed) available for guests. The game was a big hit!
Derby Trivia: Put together a trivia game with questions about the history of the Kentucky Derby.
Photo Booth: Set up a photo booth with Derby-themed props like jockey hats, horse masks, and oversized sunglasses. Encourage guests to take fun photos throughout the party.
Craft Station: Set up a DIY fascinator or bow tie-making station where guests can create their own Derby accessories to wear during the race.
Betting: Setup a pool. Have all the betting lines written on a board and then have guests choose which order they will select their horse in. If you have too many guests for the number of horses, you have have multiple guests on one horse and split the winnings. Not enough guests, have more than one horse per guest.
Live Coverage: Of course have pre race coverage on your largest TV, having a projector setup for outside parties can make a big difference.
Whether it is your first Derby party or you're an old hat (pun intended) hopefully you can take or leave some of these ideas and make the 150th run for the roses one for the ages.
Until next time,
Keep it Real
FINAL PLEA TO BUY OUR CUPS :) LATE TO THE SHOW? WE SELL ON AMAZON WITH PRIME SHIPPING:
VIEW OUR WEBSITE COLLECTION
VIEW OUR AMAZON COLLECTION
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The Eads Bridge, crossing the Mississippi River into St. Louis, was not the first attempt to connect the east and the west, but it was the first successful attempt. During a period of massive expansion, there were casualties as previous attempts at bridges in that spot failed.
Some gaffed at the notion that a bridge of that size could be made of steel, but Carnegie wasn’t phased and proceeded with the project that was among his most famous. It took 7 years for the bridge to be completed and afterwards many said that they would never step foot on the foundation they deemed unstable. Carnegie was never deterred.
Heavy Footed
He was so sure of his engineering that he decided to risk it all on an elephant's sense of stability. There is a long held belief, true or not, that an elephant will not step on a structure if is is not sure it is stable enough to hold its weight. On that sunny morning, Carnegie's elephant took its first step onto the Eads bridge.
To the shock of onlookers, the bridge collapsed and the elephant plummeted to its death in the roaring waters of the Mississippi below (no not really). Carnegie marched that elephant like a general leading an army into battle, each step casting away the doubts of the strength of steel, turning skepticism into confidence with each thundering step (there ... that is better).
The Eads bridge, named after James Eads the railway man that granted Carnegie the contract to build it, is standing strong today some 150 years later. Anyone that knows this story, surely cannot cross this waterway without thinking about the elephant that did it first.
sources: https://smartypantsmagazineforkids.com/2022/09/28/andrew-carnegie-and-the-elephant-who-crossed-the-bridge/
https://andrewcarnegielegacy.weebly.com/the-bridgebuilder.html
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/eads-andrew-carnegie-1835-1919/
Buyer A from Company XYZ has been tasked with picking up some logo'd tumblers for an upcoming special event. Generally said buyer would do a search for cups with logos and soon after find themselves on a random website littered with promotional products, crazy slash through pricing (Only good for 72 hours of course) and aggressive pop ups. The problem with sites like this is it is often not the best deal and almost never a very high quality product. Here is why:
Middlemen: The process involves a convoluted supply chain, which can lead to inflated costs for buyers. This system, while seemingly straightforward, is rife with inefficiencies that contribute to higher expenses and compromised quality. Primarily, the issue stems from the middlemen within the procurement process. Most buyers are unwittingly exposed to multiple intermediaries.
Any Ol' Custom Shop, as we will call it, doesn't directly deal with the factories that are manufacturing the products. Instead, they procure these items from a USA-based supplier, which middles the products from overseas factories. As each entity along this supply chain seeks to make a profit, the cost of the drinkware significantly increases at each step.
These intermediary companies might lack specialized expertise in drinkware manufacturing. Consequently, they might offer only limited and standard designs with subpar quality, as their primary focus lies more in the customization aspect rather than the inherent quality of the product.
In order to mitigate these issues and prevent overpayment, buyers may seek out direct relationships with drinkware companies. By eliminating unnecessary intermediaries, buyers can ensure better quality control, more competitive pricing, and a smoother, more efficient procurement process for their customized drinkware needs.
As hinted at above, you'll also notice the spammy nature of these companies to almost try and trick you into purchasing through misleading discounts and bait and switch shipping prices.
Discounting: Almost every company uses discounts as a tool to gain customers, but many promotional products companies run several discounts at the same time, all with different prices on the same product. We confirmed this by using Meta's Ad Library, which shows all ads a company is currently running on Facebook or Instagram. You can see here, one popular promotional products company has 3 different prices depending on which ad you clicked on.
Shipping and Setup Fees: Promotional products companies also use a bait and switch pricing technique where they quote you one price, only to have your total explode when you get to the final stage of the transaction. It's annoying because you never really know what your bill will be until after you've gone through the exhausting process of entering in your information. This is standard practice by almost all promo products, quote them low and then rip them off on shipping. You will also often get nailed by setup fees which of course are not advertised until you're checking out. Watch out for these as they like to sneak them in!
Engraving Up-charge: Another technique they use is they have one price for screen printing and one price for engraving. They will always quote you the screen printing cost and then try and upsell you on engraving. No one wants cups that are peeling off before the event is even over so many unwitting buyers will just accept the up-charge.
Here comes the pitch ...
Buy your customized drinkware from a Real drinkware company, that Deals in drinkware day in a day out all to give you some steals on your steel. Check out Real Deal Steel's full line of stainless steel drinkware. We are a drinkware company unlike any other, with years of experience in the direct to customer drinkware market and the wholesale custom drinkware market. We provide the highest quality drinkware for both individuals and businesses, and our products are totally different from anything out there. They are made with years of brainstorming and experience to deliver the coolest, most unique, and certainly the classiest stainless steel drinkware on the market. We offer free shipping to 48 states, so you know what you're paying up front. As long as you are part of our free VIP email list, you will be notified of any and all discounts we run. So please join us!
]]>Some of us want to buy American when we have the option. In fact, “Where is it manufactured?” is the #1 question we get at Real Deal Steel. Well, we’re going to keep it REAL and give it to you straight: No one manufactures stainless steel drinkware in the USA! It’s too bad but it’s the dirty truth. It’s easy to be misled by companies saying it is “designed in [insert US city here]”. The truth is, if you’re buying stainless steel drinkware, it is most likely coming from China.
A quick breakdown of the major USA Based SS Drinkware Manufacturers:
YETI - China
Hydroflask - China
RTIC - China
Brumate - China
Real Deal Steel - China
You can't buy stainless steel drinkware made in the USA, but you can still do your best to support American companies and get yourself high quality shatterproof drinkware. Here are some ideas:
1) Buy from a company based in the USA. This is becoming increasingly harder to do. Take Amazon for example: There are a surprising amount of Chinese companies that sell their products on the US Amazon platform. China’s share of the Amazon marketplace is around 35% and rising. That’s right … 35%! Some of the time, they make it obvious in their copy due to lack of knowledge of the English language, but most of the time you would never know it until you try to contact the company or attempt to read about them online. You'll generally come up empty handed, so pass these companies by and keep looking.
2) Buy from a company that supports local vendors. Some companies choose to use freight companies based in the USA, warehousing options in the community they reside in, and marketing/tech companies based nearby. Others base these decisions on cost only and don't support their neighbor businesses.
3) Buy from a company with in-house custom departments. Making custom drinkware creates jobs as people need to operate the machinery and help create the designs. This creates jobs here in America. Making a custom department takes a lot upfront costs and commitment to increasd labor costs. Some companies keep this function in China and ship directly from China to the end customer as it is cheaper with little to no startup costs.
4) Buy from a company that supports community and charitable endeavors. Yes, that matters. Companies are actually more likely to succeed when they plant roots in their local communities, but you'll obviously never see this in Chinese companies.
Ready for our pitch? here you go: Real Deal Steel checks all four boxes above. We are co-founded by a husband and wife team, living in the Heartland of Wisconsin, nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit. Our goal is to help you worry less about broken glass and the effects of environmentally damaging plastics. Whatever your drink of choice is, we have an option for you. We hope you decide to keep it REAL with us!
]]>Scientifically, steel does not have any taste. It is an inert compound. No chemical reactions; it will not breakdown, which is why it is widely the choice of commercial kitchens and hospitals where cleanliness is obligatory. Still ... some people swear that their steel tumbler changes the taste of their drink?
There are a few things to consider:
Porousness
Some tumblers use a rougher, brushed interior which will certainly bring in flavors more often than smoother surfaced steel cups. Even a steady cleaning regimen and you might still taste that chai tea you had to have for weeks.
Porousness is likely the number one cause of imparting foreign flavors into your beverage. Even sweat can find its way into your water bottle (you've tasted it, haven't you?) The way around this is 1) Get yourself a high quality vessel. Electropolish or mirrored interiors are far less likely to hold unwanted flavor. These processes level the peaks and valleys of your container.
Shape
Different shaped vessels can provide different experiences. Some people that report unwanted flavors bring their tumbler into work and then pour the coffee into a regular mug and voila! ... The taste goes away. Tests have also indicated that coffee tastes better out of certain colors too, so shape could be psychosomatic. Or ... It could be because they're following their nose.
Smell
This is a big one that's obvious, but many people don't consider it. Smell is an important part of taste. Coffee is one of the food or drinks that people have a deep affinity for the smell. Just the smell of the coffee in the morning can change a person's mood.
Follow Your Nose!
Smells impact on taste is quite severe. According to Scientificamerican.com:
"To our brains, "taste" is actually a fusion of a food's taste, smell and touch into a single sensation. This combination of qualities takes place because during chewing or sipping, all sensory information originates from a common location: whatever it is we're snacking on. Further, "flavor" is a more accurate term for what we commonly refer to as taste; therefore, smell not only influences but is an integral part of flavor."
Travel tumblers all but eliminate smell from the drinking experience, so are not a good choice for people that want full enjoyment from their coffee or tea.
It's not the metal, it's the tarnish
Another theory (and it's a good one) is that the taste might only be experienced from tarnishing metal. According to Chemistry.Stackexchange.com, metals will taste metallic not due to the metal itself but due to tarnish forming on its surface. This too is a quality and care issue.
Electrical Current
Saliva contains chemicals that react with certain metals to produce electricity. This only occurs when two types of metal come in contact with saliva. Fillings could be the answer as to why only some people say they experience taste. So it might not be taste at all, but a sensation that people confuse with taste.
One thing is for sure: Stainless steel continues to trend as a preferred container for almost any beverage. For health, the environment, and just a better drinking experience, we all should continue to drink better with steel.
2. No shattershock face - Impact resistance is included in every purchase.
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2. No shattershock face - Impact resistance is included in every purchase.
3. Protects hands from burning - Our mugs are double walled, which not only protects your hands but protects your wallet when you no longer drop flaming ceramic mugs. note: if you buy metal mugs that are not double wall, you will burn the heck out of your hands!
4. None of that ... stuff! All stainless steel products are 100% BPA Free. Most hygiene aficionados agree, steel is the healthiest choice on the market today.
5. No sweaty palms - Not only will double wall stainless protect from heat, it will protect from condensation too. At Real Deal Steel, our only product that is not double walled is our stemless wine glasses. It was part of the design as we wanted to keep the lip thin and increase the size of the cup without making them too bulky. Our audience indicated the insulation is not important to them in a wine glass (so there).
6. Easy to clean (as long as you don't chince on quality) - Some stainless steel products are very easy to clean, others are not. If the interior of your products are either mirrored or electropolished (frosty smooth finish), cleaning is a cinch. If your products are a cheaper brushed finish, particles will leach over the time, and your drinkware with no longer pass the smell test.
7. Strength to weight - Many people like our original 15 oz mug because of how surprisingly light they are. People have told us it's the first coffee cup they reach for because it's lightweight and give some extra precious minutes of heat.
8. Doesn't break the bank - Steel is comparable with other materials. Considering the versatility and durability, it's a steal.
9. Environmentally Friendly - You are welcome to drink water out of our products, but we don't sell a steel water bottle (we like our products to be unique). But that doesn't mean we don't think you should use one. We won't quote you the stats on how many wind up in landfills, but you can imagine it's a big number (hint: 60 million per day!)
That's the Divine Nine! Feel free to comment, troll us, or spit some knowledge of your own below.
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The simplest definition of steel is iron with a dash of carbon. When it comes to carbon, a little dab will do ya (less than 0.5%). Today's steels are much more as several elements may be added to the alloy to enhance performance. Nickel and chromium are now used to make higher grade, safer steel for food products.
What is 18/8? - 201 vs 304
The two most popular steels used in kitchen and drinkware are 201 and 304. They are basically unidentifiable to the eye, but perform quite different over time.
Stainless steel is made possible by chromium. Both 201 and 304 have chromium. For steel to be considered "stainless" it needs to have at least 11.5% chromium.
What does chromium do? It allows you to roll hard in your drop top ... But that's not all.
Chromium is absolutely necessary for corrosion resistant stainless steel. The chromium combines with the oxygen in the atmosphere to create a thin layer of chromium oxide (only a few atoms in thickness). More on that all important layer in the care tips below.
But what about nickel?
The addition of nickel is huuuuuge if you want to make the healthiest choice for your drinking vessels. Nickel is slowly oxidized, so is essential in food (or drinkware) products. 201 contains less nickel and often none at all.
Check out this experiment put forth by Elkar when bleach is
added to the two metals. Don't worry, it's very short.
Why doesn't everyone use 304? You guessed it ... Cost.
There is fluctuation based on nickel prices, but generally you can expect to pay double for 304 steel over 201. For certain applications, 201 is just fine, but not for your drinkware products (as you can see above, yuck!)
My drinkware is stamped 18/8, I'm good then, right? No - Even if it's on the box, it doesn't mean squat.
There are no requirements on stamping 304 - 18/8 on metals. Most factories would stamp 100% recycled paper on a stainless steel product if you asked them to.
Many companies that sell in the United States will in fact stamp 18/8 even though it's not. At first, the two are generally indistinguishable by eye.
How do I know if it's 304 then?
At Real Deal Steel, we have great trust with our factory and still have, ALL of our product runs tested by an independent third party. We use QIMA; they are highly regarded in the industry. The key is to trust the company you are buying from, so that you are confident they took the necessary precautions. You must know they didn't just take their factory's word for it.
Will 304 - 18/8 ever rust?
There is a saying that goes: "It's called stainless not stain-never."
Even with nickel present, several factors determine if and when your products will be compromised. If the chromium oxide barrier is marred by scratches or cuts, the surface can be subject to oxidation. The good news is, it is self correcting as long as oxygen is present in the air. Wet and/or poorly circulated environments will lead to rusting.
What can I do to prevent corrosion? We could write another report on this, but we will keep it short.
Care Tips:
First thing is buy high quality (you got the hint on that one).
Proper cleaning: There is no such thing as over-cleaning your steel products. They thrive with frequent cleaning and you cannot wear them out. Dish soap works well and they do fine in the dishwasher.
Never clean them with a metal brush as it leaves particles in the surface and will cause rusting. Vinegar can be added as a cleaner if you need something stronger. Always rinse clean with warm water.
Common things that can cause corrosion over time consist of dirt, oils from your hands, grit from hard water. If you want your products to last a lifetime, warm water and a clean soft drying cloth is the best choice.
If you have any questions or just want to spit some knowledge, comment below or send us a message.