We are in the midst of an annual "spring is here" home ritual: barbecuing. Yes, it's May but this is when the weather is finally getting good. By that I mean it's sunny and there is NO rain.

Along with hot dogs, hamburgers and grilled veggies, I mark the beginning of the UK grilling season with that quintessentially British drink: Pimms.

Pimms is a lightly alcoholic drink mix that you combine with lemonade or ginger ale. You're also supposed to stick things like sliced cucumber in at as well. It is a wonderful summer drink I first learned about from a colleague when we lived in Brooklyn.

Here, you can buy Pimms-and-lemonade premixed in CANS! When we lived in Brooklyn, you had to buy a big bottle of the stuff and mix it yourself. When you're wrestling with a grill, the convenience is nice.

Another nice thing: it's a bank holiday weekend, meaning we have Monday off. Well, I don't but most folks do. And, since we don't get a February holiday like Presidents' Day, this kind of "payback" is nice.