The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks (26 page)

Angelica archangelica

apiaceae (carrot family)

A
ngelica, a medieval herb native to Europe, is a flavor that seems to turn up in the secret formulations of Chartreuse, Strega, Galliano, Fernet, vermouth, and perhaps even Benedictine and Drambuie. The dried root was an early remedy for digestive problems.

Angelica is related to parsley and dill, which is where it gets its bright, refreshing, and decidedly green flavor. It is also related to poison hemlock and a number of other toxic plants. In fact, of the over twenty-five species of angelica, many have not been evaluated for toxicity, and some closely resemble their more poisonous relatives, making it a risky plant to collect in the wild. Fortunately, the edible
Angelica archangelica,
sometimes sold as
A. officinalis,
is widely available from nurseries and seed companies. It is usually grown from seed because plants with a long taproot, like angelica, don't transplant well. The plant reaches six feet tall and makes a striking statement with its large, finely toothed leaves and white umbel-shaped flowers similar to Queen Anne's lace.

While the stems have been used to make candied angelica, it is the seeds and dried roots that flavor wines and liqueurs. Angelica is a biennial, which means that seeds take two years to germinate, grow, and become mature plants that produce flowers and another generation of seed. If it is being grown for its roots, it would generally be harvested in the autumn of its first year, while the root is still tender and hasn't been colonized by bugs. (Some are allowed to overwinter and bloom the second year for seed stock.) A chemical analysis of fresh angelica root shows that it contains a number of tasty compounds designed to ward off insect attacks: citrusy limonene, woodsy pinene, and the distinctly herbal Β-phellandrene are all flavors that make it particularly welcome in liqueurs.

ARTICHOKE

Cynara scolymus
(syn.
Cynara cardunculus
var.
scolymus
)

asteraceae (aster family)

T
he artichoke got its start as a cardoon. This leafy ancestor,
C. cardunculus,
probably originated in north Africa or the Mediterranean. It was actively cultivated by Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, and through their efforts a separate species, the artichoke, emerged. The two plants look very similar, with long, silvery, deeply serrated leaves and thistlelike flowers. The two can even interbreed if planted closely together. Cardoon stalks were considered both food and medicine, while artichokes were cultivated more for their oversized flower buds. Both plants spread throughout Europe in the fifteenth century and became an important part of Italian cuisine.

Artichokes and cardoons have a long history as ingredients in digestive tonics. In fact, recent research shows they may stimulate bile production, protect the liver, and lower cholesterol levels. The active compounds are cynaropicrin and cynarin, both of which are found in higher levels in the leaves. Artichokes also play a well-known trick on the taste buds, temporarily suppressing taste receptors on the tongue that detect sweetness. The next thing to come across the palate—a drink of water, a bite of food—tastes unusually sweet as those receptors start working again. This makes artichokes notoriously difficult to pair with wine, but the strange blend of bitter and sweet is perfect in a cocktail.

Several Italian
amaro
s rely on artichoke and cardoon. The aptly named Cynar is the best example; it's wonderful on its own or in soda, and works very well as a Campari substitute in a Negroni. Cardamaro Vino Amaro, made in Italy's Piemonte region, is a wine-based infusion of cardoon, blessed thistle, and other spices. It has a lower alcohol content (17 percent ABV) and an oxidized sweetness similar to that of sherry or sweet vermouth. Other regional versions are usually labeled simply “Amaro del Carciofo.”

BAY LAUREL

Laurus nobilis

lauraceae (laurel or avocado family)

T
he leaves of this Mediterranean tree were once used to fashion a crown for winners of Greek and Roman sporting events, but they are also used to flavor stews, sauces, and meat dishes. The small black berries are an ingredient in traditional French cooking. The tree's essential oils include eucalyptol, which explains its strong eucalyptus essence. Smaller quantities of linalool and terpineol give it a green, spicy, pungent, and piney taste.

Bay laurel infuses vermouths, herbal liqueurs,
amaro
s, and gins. A French distiller, Gabriel Broudier, makes a pear and bay leaf liqueur called Bernard Loiseau Liqueur de Poires Laurier. The Dutch liqueur Beerenburg contains a distillate of laurel leaves with gentian and juniper berries.

The California bay laurel (also called the Oregon myrtle),
Umbellularia californica,
is sometimes used as a substitute. However, other plants that are called laurels, including the cherry laurel (
Prunus laurocerasus
) and the mountain laurel (
Kalmia latifolia
) are extremely poisonous—so a home infusion of just any random laurel plant would be ill advised. Fortunately, the real bay laurel grows throughout Europe and in parts of North America, and both leaves and berries are sold as kitchen spices.

BETEL LEAF