Fruit-Infused Vodka
Got a bumper crop of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, or blackberries? Or, for that matter, any kind of fruit? You can make your own flavored vodka by filling a jar with clean, loosely packed berries and then pouring in as much vodka as the jar will hold. Gently crush them with a wooden spoon to release the juice, then seal and store in a cool dry place for a week. Strain it and use it in your favorite cocktails, or add simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, heated until the sugar melts and allowed to cool) to taste to make a liqueur. Either way, keep it refrigerated and enjoy it...
Read MoreBlackberries
What’s that you say? You want me to actually buy blackberries? What’s wrong with all the blackberries taking over my back yard? Well, those are Himalayan blackberries, an aggressive Asian invader, and in addition to those incredibly painful thorns, the fruit is full of unpleasant seeds and not particularly tasty. You can do much better. Follow the same general instructions as raspberries, but make life easy on yourself and choose a thornless variety that will be easy to tell apart from any Himalayan blackberries that try to sneak in. You might also try loganberries, which are a cross...
Read MoreA Humboldt-Inspired Beer Cocktail
When the North Coast Journal asked me to suggest a cocktail for its “Best of” issue, I thought, “Humboldt in a glass. What does that taste like?” Well, it has to taste like our fantastic local beer. It just so happens that beer cocktails were all the rage this summer at Tales of the Cocktail, the big annual booze industry extravaganza in New Orleans. A recipe first published in Imbibe magazine puts Humboldt’s hoppiest brews to good use. The hops add just the right note of bracing citrusy bitterness, and the beer gives it a little fizz. The Lost Coast Fizz 1 ¾ oz Hayman’s Old Tom...
Read MoreBooks by Amy Stewart
The Drunken Botanist
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