Gin & Tonic

About 15 years ago, I lived in the cutest townhouse. My neighbor and I became close friends, partly through our mutual enjoyment of food and drink. We had some good times... a crawfish boil, caviar on tiny spoons, a salsa contest that brought sweat to his brow and tears to my eyes, and a Bloody Mary taste test during which his friend -- my future husband! -- arrived and promptly decided I'd be fun to date.

In the summertime, Cliff would knock on my front door with two highballs of gin & tonic. I'm not sure how a person can knock with his hands full, but he did. We'd sit on the patio, under an arbor of wisteria, sipping those refreshing drinks, sometimes reading quietly, other times chatting, deciding what to throw on the grill.

I came to associate gin & tonic with summertime afternoons on a patio. I'm not sure I could drink a gin & tonic in the winter. Memorial Day through Labor Day, like white patent leather shoes.