Black-Eyed Susan

The Black-Eyed Susan is the cocktail flower you’ll be dying to pick.

A Black-Eyed Susan may be known as a yellow, daisy-like wildflower, but more importantly it’s the official cocktail of the Preakness Stakes.

The Preakness is the second of three legs of the Triple Crown – a series of thoroughbred horses held between May and June of each year. If any horse can win all three legs, including the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, then they’ll be named a Triple Crown Winner.

While the Derby is held in Kentucky and the Belmont in New York, the Preakness Stakes actually takes place in Maryland. And now this is where the Black-Eyed Susans get involved – they’re the official state flower of Maryland. In fact, the race itself is referred to as the, “Run for the Black-Eyed Susans,” with the winner receiving a blanket of the flowers. But as the horses run for them, the spectators will of course be drinking them. 

First created and served in 1973, the Black-Eyed Susan cocktail is the official cocktail of the Preakness Stakes today. (Not to be confused with The Preakness – the unofficial cocktail that just happens to have the exact same name as the race). However, the recipe you’ll get at Pimlico now is not quite the same as it used to be. Across the last 50 years, this budding cocktail has undergone plenty of tweaks, changes, and variations. Remixes have included pineapple juice, rum, whiskey, grapefruit juice, and countless other ingredients. The only two consistent ingredients have been vodka and orange juice. Not exactly unique or exciting.

However, luckily, the modern recipe takes on a few more qualities. Today a glass of this cheeky cocktail will include vodka, whiskey, orange juice, peach schnapps, and sour mix, but we’ve mixed that up just a little bit. We’ve added a tropical flair with white rum and swapped out disgusting sour mix with a homemade brew.

No matter which variation you choose, the Black-Eyed Susan is a good bet anytime.