the ultimate recycler

​As the youngest of six kids, I’ve been living with hand-me-downs my whole life.  When I was really young, my oldest sister gave me her old, broken watch. I thought it was the coolest thing ever, even if it didn’t work.

​Then I got a little older. My mom used to dress me and my other sister, who is only two years older than me, alike. Which I’m sure must have looked adorable, but for me it meant I had the same outfit two years running because I’d inherit hers when she grew out of it.  That was kind of annoying.

That's me in front. While not alike in this photo, I got to wear my sister's dress the next year

​You’d think that would have turned me off to the concept of hand-me-downs, but I came to accept them as part of life. In fact, after I left home and moved to LA, I started to love them. At first, a friend with much better taste than mine gave me clothes she’d gotten tired of or grew out of.  Score! My boss/mentor/friend gave me some cocktail dresses, knowing I’d never buy them. It came in really handy when I was riding as that stuff gets really expensive. Sweaters with old company logos, ski jackets that were out of style…in fact, I’m wearing a t-shirt I got from a friend who it doesn’t fit anymore.

Ski jacket? Hand-me-down. Ski pants - made in high-school from a kit.

Never did own my own Western saddle! Totally borrowed.

Saddle & horse boots? Hand-me-down. Vest? Borrowed.

By the way, even the glass in the picture is a hand-me-down from a friend. Cool, right?

​I’m telling you all of this so you’ll understand how I came to have a bottle of Art In The Age Rhubarb (tea) spirits. At 80 proof, I’m not sure why they bothered with the (tea) part, to be honest.  My niece and her husband are moving and had several bottles of partially drunk alcohol that they didn’t want to bother with, so they offered them to me. 

Because I have no problems with hand-me-downs, I cheerfully accepted. And I LOVE rhubarb in anything, so how could I go wrong?

​Per the label, it’s made of organic rhubarb, beets, carrots, lemon, spices including cardamom and vanilla, among other things.  Not being fond of beets and so-so on carrots, I was skeptical that my beloved rhubarb would still carry the day.  The bottle came with a little pamphlet of recipes, but it seemed like Root as pretty much interchangeable with gin or vodka.

I opted for a classic Gimlet, substituting Rhubarb (tea) for gin. The rhubarb and other veggies blended nicely with the lime and a bit of simple syrup.  If a cocktail has beets in it, does that make it a health drink?
 
I rate this 5 out of 5 yums. 

​Trying to find a spot for this and the other orphan bottles in my liquor cabinet made me take a bit of inventory and discovered other gifted bottles.  It’s like my house is the Island of Misfit Alcohol. Stay tuned while I try out the other mystery drinks!