A Glass Full of Memories: A History of the Derby's Iconic Mint Julep Glasses

The mint julep is as essential a part of the Kentucky Derby experience as selfies under the Twin Spires and the collective crooning of “My Old Kentucky Home.” This alcoholic beverage is a simple cocktail of crushed ice, fresh mint, water, sugar, and of course, bourbon, the spirit that is as Kentucky as the bluegrass that nourishes the state’s horses. This cocktail’s recipe predates the Derby itself, but its signature container, those souvenir glasses unique to each year’s running, has a history all its own. 

From their humble beginnings in the 1930s to their collectible designs in 2025, the mint julep glass is another piece of the Kentucky Derby experience that leaves fans with lasting memories of their day under the Twin Spires. 

An Accidental Souvenir

The traditional drinkware for a mint julep is a 10-ounce flared tumbler made of silver or pewter. So, how did these familiar 12-ounce glasses become synonymous with this bourbon beverage? While newspapers report mint juleps being served at the Derby, the story of the mint julep glass begins not with the cocktail, but with a much humbler beverage: water. For the 1938 Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs debuted 10 oz. fluted glasses with a horse surrounded by a rose garland and the Twin Spires in the background. Primarily found in the track’s dining rooms, employees noticed after the day’s races that many of the glasses had disappeared, fans taking them home as souvenirs. The following year, they charged an extra 25 cents if the patron wanted to keep the glass. 

Churchill also contracted Ohio-based Libbey Glass Company for the 1939 edition, which featured a red horseshoe on one side and a red horse head and neck adorned with a blanket of roses, with a sequence of horses racing around the glass’s bottom. Sales tripled that year, and from then on, Libbey has manufactured the signature glasses, which have undergone an evolution since those early designs. In the 87 years of the Derby’s mint julep glasses, each edition has featured a different design for that year’s race and a list of its past winners. Additionally, Churchill Downs has offered a limited edition 24-karat gold version of that year’s glass since 2022.

Since the first set of water glasses in 1938, these have become collectibles, with certain harder-to-find editions commanding big sums for sellers. The racetrack produced only 800 glasses in 1940 as glass was rationed throughout World War II; that scarcity makes the 1940 edition the rarest of the 87 produced since their inception. The war also prompted Churchill to offer colorful ceramic-type glasses produced by the Beetleware Company in 1942-1944. The post-war years saw a return to the familiar glass editions and the racetrack has also increased production over time. Through 1952, fewer than 100,000 glasses were produced each year. Since the 1960s, the number has risen to 250,000, then 400,000 for the 100th Kentucky Derby in 1974. In the 1980s, production rose to 500,000; in 2025, 700,000 glasses will be produced annually. 

Once only available at the racetrack itself, these mint julep glasses became available at retailers outside of Churchill Downs for the 100th anniversary in 1974, and now can be found at a multitude of brick-and-mortar retailers as well as online sellers. 

A Valuable Collectible

Those early limited production runs of these glasses make them a highly sought-after collectible, with the 1940 edition fetching five figures at auction. The Derby’s milestone years also inspire special designs: the 1949 glass celebrated the 75th anniversary with Colonel Matt Winn’s portrait with the phrase “He has seen them all” on one side and the list of the race’s previous winners on the other. The 1974 glass had multiple versions: one with the Libbey logo on the glass’s bottom and Canonero II; another with no logo and Canonero II; a third version with a blank bottom and the "II" left off Canonero; a version produced by the Federal Glass Company with its logo and Canonero II; and finally a glass produced by Federal with "II" left off Canonero. 

Because Churchill scaled up production over time, the glasses have a variety of prices based on not just their availability but also any quirks in production. Production errors, such as the 1956 glasses that had a varying number of stars and horse tails misprinted, can be headaches for Churchill Downs at the time, but also increase the value of those particular editions as collectors seek these singular glasses. Another errant edition came in 2003, where the initial print run incorrectly noted 1932 Derby winner Burgoo King as a Triple Crown winner and omitted that designation from the fourth Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, who earned his crown in 1937. When Churchill Downs announced a corrected version, collectors rushed to buy those erroneous glasses before they were gone. 

For last year’s 150th Kentucky Oaks and Derby, Churchill Downs took collectability to a new level by offering a special edition of each race’s signature glass at the racetrack only. These were frosted with their designs printed in gold, the Derby glass featuring only the race’s signature trophy and the list of winners on its reverse. Because these were only available on track, collectors must go through resellers to find these frosted glasses, which could increase their value over time. 

This year’s Kentucky Derby glass features a design that sees both the list of winners and the image of horses racing in front of the Twin Spires wrapping around the glass. It joins almost nine decades of these unique souvenirs, an accidental collectible that is now a signature part of the Kentucky Derby experience. Whether you grab one from the Derby Glass Warehouse or from a bar at the Downs on the first Saturday in May, you will have a piece of the race’s history in your home for years to come.