(Photo: Jennifer Karady)

The Best Bet
Whether or not you make it down to Louisville, there is only one beverage to drink on Derby weekend: the mint julep. To make one properly requires a good supply of crushed ice (and, of course, bourbon; for that, turn the page). Most ice-crushing machines produce shavings useful for snow cones and not much else. Waring’s ice crusher ($79.99 at Bloomingdale’s, 1000 Third Ave., at 59th St.; 212-705-2232) is the 800-pound gorilla. It pummels 30 pounds of ice an hour, holds twelve cups’ worth, and produces a large grain that melts slowly. That’s enough to invite every betting man and woman you know over for a long, cool drink.