 So Amy started researching plants that become alcohol, their origins and traditions, and wrote a lighthearted book called The Drunken Botanist. For example, American colonists fermented parsnips, and Ugandans make beer from bananas. She says if you know how your favorite spirits evolved, you'll have a better idea of what to pair them with in the glass. She also writes about plants that are added to alcohol to change its flavor. On the side, Amy grows her own cocktail garden.