As a kid, my brother and I used to eat the violets we found growing in our backyard in Massachusetts. Hey, what can I say? Small town living at its finest.

The story goes that a newly engaged couple drove up to a bar called Poor Red's in their shiny gold car on their way to Lake Tahoe to celebrate. 

My Mom has never been a drinker. My Dad was always the drinker in our family - and he mostly just stuck to a beer with the guys every once in awhile or during a family barbeque. 

My Mom is so not a drinker. She can probably count on one hand the number of cocktails she's had in the last 5 decades. 

Each summer, my husband and I choose a signature cocktail to sip on our porch while we watch the geese stroll, the chickens and ducks frolic, or Cooper dig random holes in the garden.

There's nothing like a mug of creamy, chocolate-y cocoa in the winter. Sure you can just buy the store bought powder and whisk it into milk. Or... you can make this version at home, almost as easily.

This creamy cocktail is one of my holiday favorites. I always have a little heavy cream leftover when I bake, and this is the perfect way to use it up.

This cocktail is a dreamy combination of heavy cream, amaretto, vodka and Bailey's Almande with a dusting of nutmeg. 

What could be more apropos for the holidays?

This classic cocktail recipe is a variation on a traditional whiskey sour. It's a great winter cocktail because it combines the warm rich notes of ginger and honey with bright citrus notes. 

With a healthy dose of whiskey as well! 

When I saw the recipe for a Caramel Snickerdoodle Martini on the Delish site last winter, I knew I had to try it! 

I love making mojitos in the summer when we are overflowing with fresh mint in the garden. 

My husband retired from the Navy in 2015 and we packed up our household belongings, chickens, ducks, our corgi Winston, our German Shepherd Bella, and our cat Linus, and moved to a farm in Maine.

Every summer since, we've chosen a "signature" cocktail and recipe tested as many recipes as we can find, tweaking them until we stumble upon the perfect recipe. Then we happily sip as we sit on our porch enjoying our beautiful Maine summers. 

Glögg, or gløgg, is a spiced mulled wine that is enjoyed in the Nordic countries of Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden, but is especially popular in Sweden. 

A lazy Sunday afternoon in Maine in the fall calls for a crisp, sparkling, cider-based cocktail while we enjoy the football game. This one I'm calling the Mimosa Bourbon Cider Shrub.

If you've never had the cocktail version of a "shrub", you're in for a treat! 

A shrub is technically a "drinking vinegar". It's basically a syrupy liquid created by mixing vinegar, usually apple cider vinegar, with fruit juices and sugar.  Sort of like a vinegar simple syrup. 

Whiskey sours made with store-bought mix were my drink of choice for a while in college. Then I became an adult and graduated to the homemade version, which is SOOOO much better. 

I go traditional and dry-shake an egg white for the top of the cocktail - technically making it a Boston sour in a nod to my home state. 

Warm spices, cranberries and citrus turn summer sangria into a spiced holiday sipper.

Sangria is usually thought of as a summer sipper. It's simply wine with some fruit and fruit juices in it.  But add in some warming spices and winter fruits and you've got a delicious Holiday Spice  Sangria.

Lemon verbena is an herb that you might not be familiar with, but it's one of my favorites.  

I always plant a few small plants in my herb garden each spring. I love the citrusy scent you get from rubbing your fingers against the leaves.

A couple of years ago, I shared an eggnog recipe on my blog. I love making homemade eggnog using eggs from our coop around the holidays.