Spring Is Mint Julep Season

Grab your two-dollar bills because the biggest day in horse racing is just around the bend. Set in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May is, you guessed it, the Kentucky Derby. And that means it's time for mint juleps!

A classic mint julep cocktail is piled high with ice, bourbon, and mint. This isn't a crazy cocktail. People have been enjoying the julep since the 1700s. But once the classic is mastered, what happens next?

This month, bars and restaurants across America are putting their own spins on the julep during Mint Julep Month. With Nashville's thriving food and beverage scene, you can taste participating venues' unique twists on the cocktail in at Makeready Libations & Liberation at Noelle, Chauhan Ale & Masala House, Josephine, The Mockingbird, Tànsuŏ, or Henley. Henley's julep take, for example, calls for Maker's Mark and mint along with sunflower, dandelion, meadow herbs, and nutmeg.

But in case there isn't a classic julep near you, grab a bottle of bourbon and make your own at home. Participating venues in Nashville are using Maker's Mark, but Woodford Reserve is the Derby's official spirit.Try recreating one of these julep renditions at home, which would be the perfect beverage at any Derby party.