At the University of Notre Dame, each spring a special pilgrimage is planned for the graduating senior class*. On the final Saturday of the school year, hordes of 22-year-olds board buses and flock to the holy land of darties: the Kentucky Derby.
Last year, as I woefully accepted my college career was coming to an end, I too eagerly hopped a bus from South Bend, Ind. to Louisville, Ky. (from one booming metropolis to another!) to see the esteemed Churchill Downs and participate in the famous Derby.
It was a steamy spring day, and the only thing on my mind was getting a hold of a crispy, cool, refreshing mint julep. They contain only three simple ingredients: mint, simple syrup, and bourbon! Individually, these things all taste fantastic. How could it go wrong?
I had heard so much about mint juleps. They are, after all, one of the “musts” for any first-time Derby-goer. So I forked over my $10 in cash or whatever ridiculous amount it cost and took a sip of a mint julep for the first time.
It tasted like s**t.
*Going to the Derby is in no way sanctioned by the school. Don’t sue me plz, ND ily.