boozy garden

Dean Phillips and his cornWas it just two short years ago that Phillips Distilling Company, the fifth-generation, family-owned Minnesota beverage company, launched Prairie Organic Vodka? It seems like years since I first noticed the gorgeous, slender bottle, remarking to my friends that Phillips had finally created something as beautiful as it was tasty.

Just before embarking on my week-long stay at a cabin with my in-laws and friends, I posted to Twitter and Facebook, hoping to find a local cocktail that would impress the crowd. My friends chimed in helpfully, offering suggestions such as "gin and lake water" (thanks Graeme!) and "lemonade with Shaker vodka, muddled local raspberries or Door County cherries, and mint (thanks nearly everyene else?)."