The arrival of spring has got to be my favorite time of year; green grass, flowers in bloom, curtains blowing in the breeze, and sipping cocktails on the front porch watching the sprinklers run. Did I mention having to cut the grass, breaking my back planting the flowers, the breeze coming to a dead halt, and having to run inside to escape the barrage of dive-bombing mosquitoes? However you look at it, my afternoon will still end the same; with a cocktail in hand. Nothing screams "Southern" more than the mint julep.

As with most classic cocktails, the exact origins are not definitely known. It is said to have originated in the South in the 18th century and first appeared in print in a book by John Davis published in London in 1803. The title of the book is "Travels of Four Years and a Half in the United States of America" where the cocktail is described as "a dram of spirituous liquor that has mint steeped in it, taken by Virginians of a morning." But it wasn't until the mid 1800s that the drink really gained popularity when a Kentucky senator, Henry Clay, introduced the drink to Washington D.C. at the Round Robin Bar in the famous Willard Hotel during his residence in the city.

Now the official drink of the Kentucky derby, this is the perfect time of year to master the art of making the perfect mint julep. So don your floppy hat or your seersucker suit and I'll see you at the track.