Like most cocktail classics, the true origins of the Mint Julep are clouded by equal parts myth and legend with a twist of oral tradition. What is known is, the cocktail we now most commonly associate with the Kentucky Derby — it’s been the drink of choice for the sports world’s fastest two minutes since 1938 — was originally prescribed as sweetened elixir to mask the undesirable taste of medicine, and once called for gin rather than bourbon.

With the Kentucky Derby on the horizon, we tapped Dan Hamm, one of the bartenders at 1 Tippling Place, a bar and cocktail lounge in Philadelphia known for its carefully curated collection of premium spirits, and highly coveted lineup of hard-to-find bourbon and other whiskeys, to show us how to make a classic Mint Julep.

Click through and learn for yourself how to muddle and mix your own before heading off to the races.