LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Things are starting to hum at Churchill Downs as the calendar flips to April, and with the arriving spring comes the perfect time for another Louisville favorite: the mint julep.

There is an entire exhibit dedicated to the famous bourbon cocktail at the Kentucky Derby Museum. But you don't have to wait for the Run for the Roses to get your taste of the Derby. You can make it right at home.

All you need is bourbon, sugar and mint. Johnny "Bourbon" Arnett, the bartender at the Derby Cafe inside the museum, said he's made so many mint juleps for Kentuckians and visitors who come from all over the world he can't even put a number on it.

"The secret is not really a secret," he said. "All you have to do is have the ingredients."

And as the cocktail is famous on the track, so are the souvenir glasses. Historians say there's almost a story behind every glass, but it all starts with the cocktail, one that Kentucky's proud of.

"Because the Kentucky Derby is taking place in Louisville, Kentucky, where the north meets the south, this became something of that calling card for the southern hospitality ethos they were trying to develop," said Jessica Whitehead, curator of collections at the Kentucky Derby Museum.

It's a simple recipe, but everyone has their different spin or twist. No matter how you make your favorite mint julep, it's a great way to gear up for the Kentucky Derby.

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