Tradition can be wonderful, but at times it just makes you wonder. The mint julep, the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, sounds a lot better than it tastes. For those of you who will be partying at home on Saturday, here's the recipe:

Start by making simple syrup -- a cup of cold water, two cups of sugar. Boil the sugar and water for five minutes, let it cool and add mint leaves.

Let the syrup "brew" for 12 hours, then stir and strain to remove the mint. Mix two shots of bourbon with one shot of simple syrup and pour into a glass filled with crushed ice. Stir and stick in a fresh mint sprig (it resembles a hardy weed).

Think of it as a snowcone that gives you a buzz. But there's no accounting for taste, especially when such a second-rate concoction is so popular that it's almost heretical to criticize it. To a connoisseur of good bourbon, it seems like a sinful waste, and to this former bartender, the mint sprig is extremely optional. The best that can be said of the mint julep is the more of them you drink, the better you like them.