Black-Eyed Susan Preakness 151 Cocktail Recipe: How to Make It and Why Bourbon Meets Vodka

We love Bulleit Bourbon and Ketel One Vodka, both official partners of Preakness 151, but for this race we may actually be reaching for a Mint Julep as the horses run at Laurel Park.

Still, the Preakness has its own official cocktail, and it deserves a toast and we want to show you how to make it: the Black-Eyed Susan.

QUESTION: Will you try the Black-Eyed Susan, or have you already had one? Tell us in the comments below on this link how you like it AND / OR and whether you’re reaching for this Preakness classic or sticking with a Mint Julep.

The Black-Eyed Susan is bright, fruity, boozy, and an unusual little mouthful. Where the Kentucky Derby has the Mint Julep and the Belmont has its own cocktail traditions, Preakness has a drink named for Maryland’s state flower and the blanket of flowers placed over the winning horse.

The Black-Eyed Susan became the official drink of the Preakness Stakes in 1973, created by Harry Stevens, whose catering company served the event. The idea was simple: give Preakness a signature cocktail tied directly to the Black-Eyed Susan flowers that symbolize the race.

The drink has changed over time, and that is part of its story.  That helps explain why the modern Black-Eyed Susan can feel a little like a race-day committee meeting in a glass.

Bourbon brings the wood, char and nod to history while vodka keeps the drink lighter and lets the citrus pop. Peach schnapps or orange liqueur adds sweetness. The juices give it that sunny, Maryland springtime look.

For Preakness 151, the official partner list includes Bulleit Bourbon, Ketel One, Guinness, Old Bay, Celsius, Mountain Dew, Pepsi Zero, Poppi, and Diageo, among others.

That makes the Bulleit-and-Ketel-One version especially relevant this year.

Black-Eyed Susan Cocktail Recipe for Preakness 151

Ingredients

1 oz Bulleit Bourbon
1 oz Ketel One Vodka
1 oz peach schnapps
2 oz orange juice
2 oz sour mix
Orange slice
Cherry

Directions

Add bourbon, vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice, and sour mix to a shaker with ice. Shake until cold. Strain into a tall glass or julep-style cup over fresh ice. Garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

Bourbon and Vodka Together, Why?

The Black-Eyed Susan is not a frozen-in-time cocktail. That is the whole point.

The drink became the official cocktail of the Preakness in 1973, when caterer Harry Stevens created a signature drink for the race. The exact original 1973 recipe is harder to pin down than people often make it sound.

The best-supported answer is that the early/original-style Black-Eyed Susan was built around vodka and rum, with orange juice, orange liqueur, and sour mix, usually garnished with an orange slice and cherry.

That flexibility helps explain why the drink has moved around so much. In the older “classic” build, the Black-Eyed Susan was essentially a fruity vodka-and-rum race-day drink: vodka, rum, orange juice, orange liqueur, and sour mix.

In later years, especially during the larger Preakness party and InfieldFest era, some versions shifted lighter and more floral, using vodka, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, pineapple juice, lime juice, and orange juice.

Then the modern sponsorship era pushed the drink again. In 2023, Diageo entered a three-year partnership with Preakness and 1/ST covering Preakness 148, 149, and 150.

That partnership specifically promoted the Black-Eyed Susan with Bulleit Bourbon and Ketel One Vodka, while other Diageo brands were also connected to the event. Current Preakness partner listings again include Bulleit Bourbon, Ketel One, and Diageo, which explains why today’s version brings bourbon and vodka together.

So why bourbon and vodka in the same glass? Because the Black-Eyed Susan has always been more adaptable than sacred. Vodka keeps the drink clean, light, and citrus-forward. Bourbon gives it body, oak, spice, sweetness, and a stronger American whiskey backbone. The current Bulleit-and-Ketel-One version is not some random accident in a glass; it is the latest version of a cocktail that has always changed with the race, the crowd, and the sponsors around it.

Since 1973, the Black-Eyed Susan has made room for vodka, rum, orange liqueur, sour mix, pineapple, lime, St-Germain, peach schnapps, bourbon, and vodka again. It may not be the most elegant classic cocktail ever invented, but it does exactly what a race-day drink is supposed to do: it is bright, strong, crowd-friendly, easy to batch, sponsor-friendly, and instantly tied to the Preakness story.

So yes, we may still pour a Mint Julep today. But we will raise a respectful glass to the Black-Eyed Susan — the official Preakness cocktail that keeps changing with the times while Maryland flowers, horse racing, and a little spirited chaos stay at the center of the cup.

How To Watch Preakness 151

For those watching today, Preakness 151 is at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland, while Pimlico is being rebuilt. The race airs on NBC and Peacock, with post time scheduled for 7:01 p.m. ET / 6:01 p.m. CT.