Okay, so it might be a little foggy and chilly today on the North Coast–but I'm still thinking about margaritas.  Tequila, lime, a double jigger–it's a happy moment. 5 x 7 oil on board.  Click here to bid. Go here to see other paintings on...

Gin.  (vodka if you must, but really–gin.  Hendrick‘s would be a fine choice.) Basil and cucumber, muddled. Squeeze of lime juice. Splash of Dry Cucumber Soda Happy...

by Amy Oh, the product samples we get!  Screw the garden gloves; I want to drink me some gin!  So a big GardenRant salute goes out to Tru Organic Spirits, makers of a damn fine organic, low-carbon-footprint gin that also happens to be really tasty and oh-so-botanical. If you need to know how eco-friendly these people are, what with the tree planting and the lightweight bottles and the organic ingredients, go here and read it for...

  Because my next book involves plants and booze, I am required to spend a lot of money at liquor stores buying unusual spirits.  It’s terrible, I know, but this is the sort of grueling research writers must put themselves through.  My husband is no help:  as a rare book dealer, he has that obsessive collector’s mentality that makes him want to acquire one of everything so as to have a complete...

There are no recipes this time. Amy and I drank our Esprit de June straight. But we do recommend a look at this post and this site and these pictures to learn more about the wonderful Sonnenberg Gardens. Here's the live experience: > More to come! Look for future episodes of our adventures during Amy's Central NY speaking tour. And a cocktail hour with fellow bloggers Kathy/Cold Climate Gardening, Dee/Red Dirt Ramblings, and...

In which Elizabeth gets all dressed up for a gala botanical garden event, while Amy drinks vodka straight out of a mason jar and talks to her chickens. Topics include Champagne, hibiscus flowers in syrup, raspberry-infused vodka, a certain Black & Decker home appliance, and–once again–hyacinths. Special guest appearance by Amy's Buff Orpington, Ladybird. If you'd like to drink along with us, you'll need: Champagne...