The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks (63 page)
Read The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks Online
Authors: Amy Stewart
Tags: #Non-Fiction
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flowers
Flowers are most often used as a garnish or frozen in ice cubes for decoration, but some can be added to simple syrup or vodka infusions to add flavor or color. The blossoms of the plants in the herbs section (
p. 320
) are also edible and safe to use. Just don't add any flower to a cocktail unless you're sure it's edible. hydrangea, for instance, contains a little cyanide, which makes it a less-than-ideal drink ingredient.
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flowers
Borage Borago officinalis | Annual. Deep blue flowers are gorgeous in drinks or frozen into ice cubes. Leaves taste vaguely like cucumbers. Traditional Pimm's Cup garnish. |
Calendula Calendula officinalis | Annual. Bright yellow and orange petals can be infused for their color. Alpha is a reliable orange variety; Sunshine Flashback is deep yellow; Neon is orange-red. |
Elderflower Sambucus nigra | Perennial. Grown for flowers or fruit; use flowers in infusions and syrups. Try the dramatic Black Lace or Sutherland Gold, with chartreuse foliage. Some North American species produce cyanide, so get yours from a fruit nursery. (See |
Honeysuckle Lonicera heckrottii | Perennial. Gold Flame is tough, vigorous, and loaded with fragrant flowers. |
Jasmine Jasminum officinale | Perennial. Hardy to about 0 degrees Fahrenheit. French jasmine, sometimes called |
Lavender Lavandula angustifolia | Perennial. English lavenders like Hidcote and Munstead are best for culinary uses, or try the French Grosso and Fred Boutin ( |
Marigold Tagetes erecta | Annual. Petals are bright orange, red, or yellow and have a sharp, spicy flavor. There are many new varieties, but African Marigold is the classic vigorous orange version. |
Nasturtium Tropaeolum majus | Annual. Dwarf Cherry is a mounding variety, compact enough for a container. Other varieties can turn into sprawling vines. All produce peppery flowers in orange, red, yellow, pink, and white. |
Rose Rosa | Perennial. Choose a highly fragrant hybrid tea like Mister Lincoln for rose petal infusions, or a rugosa variety if you want to cultivate the rose hips. (See |
Sichuan button Acmella oleracea | Annual. The yellow flower buds contain a compound called spilanthol that produces a Pop Rocksâlike reaction when chewed. A bit of a gimmick, but a fun cocktail garnish nonetheless. |
Viola Viola tricolor | Annual. Johnny-jump-ups, and closely related pansies, are edible but not particularly flavorful. Useful as a garnish. |
Violet Viola odorata | Perennial. Old-fashioned sweet violets are highly fragrant and very short-lived. Not to be confused with African violets. (See |
LAVENDER
Lavandula angustifolia
(syn.
L.
Ã
intermedia
)
lamiaceae (mint family)
L
avender doesn't often turn up behind the bar for the same reason it isn't used often in cooking: the sharp, floral fragrance seems just right in a perfume but all wrong as part of a meal. However, any gardener who loves growing lavender will eventually want to try it in a drink. And it is used in gin, infused vodka, and liqueurs.
English lavender,
Lavandula angustifolia,
is somewhat sweeter and better suited for flavoringâlavender scones and cookies are baked with this variety. Hidcote and Munstead are two popular varieties; both will grow up to two feet tall and form a solid hedge.
The only other lavender to consider for a cocktail would be
L.
Ã
intermedia,
a hybrid grown in France for perfume and soap. Try Grosso, Fred Boutin, or Abrialii. The flavor may be a bit sharper than English lavender, but the plants do a better job of tolerating hot, muggy summers. Many other species of lavender contain mildly toxic compounds and should not be eaten.
Situate lavender in full sun, give it well-drained soil, and top-dress with pea gravel rather than mulch. It wants no fertilizer and very little supplemental water. Lavender must be sheared back in late fall to keep blooming; cut back most of the foliage, but never cut down to bare wood. Lavender likes a Mediterranean climate but can be coaxed along in all but the coldest areas; it will tolerate winter temperatures to â10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lavender's dry, astringent perfume is perfect with a botanical spirit like gin, or it can be used to infuse a simple syrup.
LAVENDER-ELDERFLOWER CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
1 ounce lavender simple syrup (see
p. 324
)
1 ounce St-Germain
Champagne or other sparkling wine
1 sprig fresh lavender
Pour the simple syrup and St-Germain in a Champagne flute and top with Champagne. Garnish with a sprig of fresh lavender.
LAVENDER MARTINI
4 sprigs fresh lavender
1½ ounces gin (try Dry Fly from Washington State, which contains lavender)
½ ounce Lillet blanc (see note)
Lemon peel
In a cocktail shaker, muddle 3 springs of the lavender with the gin. Add the Lillet, shake with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. To get all the crushed lavender buds out of the drink, double-strain it by placing a fine mesh strainer over the glass before pouring. Garnish with the lemon peel and the remaining lavender sprig.
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Note: Lillet will stay fresh in the refrigerator for at least a few weeks. If you don't have any, this drink also works with the more traditional dry vermouth.
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trees
Fruit trees are not exactly an impulse purchase. A tree is like a puppy: it's cute when it's small, but it does grow up, and it requires a lifetime of care.
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Some fruit trees need a certain number of winter chill hours (hours during which temperatures hover around freezing) in order to complete their dormancy cycle. Some are vulnerable to pests and diseases that would require you to apply more sprays than you might be comfortable with, considering the fact that cocktails often call for the rind of the fruit. Consult with a good local fruit tree nursery or your county agricultural extension office, both of whom might offer fruit tree workshops, and ask about disease and pest-resistant varieties and organic methods.
Some trees, including citrus, will grow in a container and won't object to overwintering indoors if they can't survive the winter outside. Just know that fruit trees tend to be grafted onto root-stock that determines their size, so if you want a tree to stay small, ask for one grafted onto dwarf rootstock.
The care and feeding of a fruit tree is also a little different from other plants. Some varieties are self-fertile, which means they don't need a mate nearby, but others won't bloom without a compatible tree (called a pollinizer) in the area. Speaking of pollination, your local bees will probably do the deed without any special effort on your part, but indoor plants might require a little assistance. (Have this birds-and-bees talk with your garden center staff.) Fruit trees also require special fertilizer loaded with micronutrients like iron, copper, and boron. They call for particular pruning strategies, and some must be thinned when the fruit is still small and green to ensure a good harvest.
None of this, however, should discourage you. Fruit trees are endlessly rewarding. Some nurseries will double or triple that reward by grafting a few varieties onto one rootstock. These “three in one” or “four in one” offerings are a great way to grow a variety of fruit in a small space. With a little education and help selecting the right variety for your area, you'll enjoy the singular pleasure of enlivening a drink with fresh, seasonal juice from your own garden.
trees
Apple Malus domestica | Choosing varieties that thrive in your climate is key. Do plenty of tasting at farmers' markets and ask local growers for help selecting a tree. (See |
Apricot Prunus armeniaca | Most apricots grown for fruit in the United States have bitter, inedible pits, which is fine if you only intend to use the fruit. One sweet variety, whose almond-flavored pits can be soaked in brandy, is SweetHeart. (See |
Cherry Prunus cerasus var. | To make your own maraschino cherries, look for a sour, dark, morello type, also called a pie cherry. (See |
Fig Ficus carica | Violette de Bordeaux is a classic French variety, but what matters most is choosing one suitable for your area. Try to taste figs from local farmers before committing to a variety. Great for simple syrup reductions. (See |
Lemon Citrus limon | Great in containers. Choose Improved Meyer for the juice or Eureka or Lisbon for flavorful rind. (See |
Lime Citrus aurantifolia | Also called key lime, Mexican lime, or West Indian lime, this is the ideal variety for mixed drinks. Kaffir lime, |
Lychee Litchi chinensis | An extraordinary tropical fruit, the juice is delightful in cocktails and the fruit makes a lovely garnish. The tree can't survive temperatures below 25 degrees Fahrenheit and grows to over thirty feet, making it unsuitable for cold climates or greenhouses. |
Olive Olea europaea | Gordal is a classic Spanish variety. Arbequina is small and cold-tolerant. Look for a variety that is bred for fruit production, not as an ornamental tree. Be aware that olive pollen can be highly aggravating to people with seasonal allergies. (See |
Orange Citrus aurantium, others | The so-called bitter orange is grown for its peel, as are citrons. Navel and blood oranges are better for juice, and some varieties will grow indoors. For containers, consider kumquats and calamondins for sheer ease of growing. (See |
Peach Prunus persica | Look for disease-resistant, dwarf varieties. Peaches (and closely related nectarines) are ideal for so-called combo trees, where a few varieties are grafted to one rootstock. |
Plum Prunus domestica | Dark blue damson, bright yellow mirabelle, and greengage plums are the traditional European varieties used for making wines, liqueurs, and eau-de-vie. Try Big Mackey or Jam Session, bred by Cornell University to succeed in North America. (See |
Pomegranate Punica granatum | The dwarf variety |