All that, and a vase to boot!

I must admit that I have a slight fixation with bottles. I love antique ones and modern ones, bottles made into glassware (if myself in 1980 could hear myself in 2010 say that, I'd slap me!), and of course bottles used for vases. My only defense is that I grew up in Los Angeles in an era when it was considered both chic and quaint for a cafe to have an small Perrier bottle with a bloom in it on the table. Of course now, you can get bottles from retailers like Crate and Barrel that have a great shape and hold a single bloom, but I still love the re-purposed bottle! Which brings me to the point of this blog: Hendrick's Gin.

I first had a Hendrick's cocktail at a great restaurant near me, St. Francis, that serves seasonal tipples using Hendrick's Gin (Boots mixes a mean drink!). If you are still in the dark, Hendrick's is distilled in ridiculously small batches in Scotland using cucumber and rose petals, and was declared "The Best Gin in the World" by the Wall Street Journal in 2003. It also comes in a great bottle! The shape is perfect: tall, with a small neck, and the black glass is subtle, yet dramatic- perfect for a few colorful blooms...

An added bit of polish is to use some greenery, especially around the neck, in a simple arrangement like this. I really love galax leaves, which you can usually get from a florist (P.S. they last almost forever in a plastic bag in your fridge, as well!). The height of this arrangement would make for an awkward centerpiece (it would look great, though, on a side table or entry table...), but this could easily be adapted by shortening the stems.

Now, all you have to do is mix some cocktails and presto! You have a vase! Sometimes inspiration can come down the liquor isle of your grocery store...