Garden-to-Glass Cocktails

F&W's feature intern, Chelsea Morse, finds a new use for her garden herbs. Here, she shares:

When my husband and I planted our vegetable garden this year, we intended to grow foods like tomatoes, cucumbers and Swiss chard. But after each visit to the nursery section of the farmers' market, we found ourself purchasing flowers and herbs. The garden has been thriving in the summer heat wave, and after making great pesto and chimichurri, we were at a loss for what to do with the rest of our leafy herbs. But I found inspiration while recently visiting PX Lounge in Washington, D.C. Mixologist Todd Thrasher offers a cocktail called "The Grog" - a mixture of Mount Gay rum, housemade lemon bitters, lemon juice, and lemon verbena tea. He steeps verbena leaves in hot water with sugar to create a light, refreshing base for the drink. The result is aromatic and gently tart, and would make a great summertime alternative to lemonade. Our lemon verbena is getting a trim this weekend, and we're going to try some new cocktail experiments. For more summer cocktail ideas, click here.