Grow Your Own: The Farmer’s Market Vodka Garden
The clever people at Log House Plants have put together a collection of plants that blend oh-so-well with vodka-based cocktails. They’re a wholesale nursery, so they’re growing the plants for sale at retail garden centers and gourmet grocery stores on the West Coast. Look for them in your local indie garden center/grocery store, or order them online from the Territorial Seed Company, who has joined in this effort and put together a great collection of cocktail-friendly plants and seeds. We called this first collection The Farmers Market Vodka Garden, because vodka can be made...
Read MorePepper
As with tomatoes, the trick to growing peppers for cocktails is to choose a variety that is small enough to fit in the glass as a garnish. It’s also important you actually like the pepper; there’s no point growing hot peppers if you can’t stand spicy cocktails. A good hot pepper variety to try is ‘Peguis,’ a heavy producer of large, green jalapeño-style peppers. For sweet peppers I like ‘Cherry Pick,’ a small, round, red pepper that matures early, making it a good option for chilly summers like I have in northern California. In any case, give peppers full sun and protection...
Read MoreMamani Gin & Tonic
1.5 oz gin 2-3 fresh jalapeño slices (or, if you prefer, a milder pepper), seeds removed 2-3 sprigs cilantro or basil 2-3 chunks cucumber 1 chunk celery stalk 4 oz high-quality tonic water (Fever Tree or Q Tonic) 1-2 cherry tomatoes, along with a basil or cilantro leaf, on a pick for garnish Ice Fill a mason jar, Collins glass, or short tumbler with ice. In between the ice cubes, layer in a slice or two of pepper, a sprig of cilantro or basil, and a cherry tomato. In a cocktail shaker, combine the first five ingredients. Use a muddler or wooden spoon to gently crush the vegetables...
Read MoreAgave Piña
1.5 oz 100% agave tequila 2 oz pineapple juice (fresh if possible) .5 oz agave nectar or simple syrup 2-3 fresh jalapeño slices 2-3 sage leaves ½ small lime Optional: Club soda or lemon-lime soda Squeeze lime into cocktail shaker and add other ingredients. Muddle sage leaves and peppers to release the flavors. Shake well over ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Optional variation: Pour into a tall, skinny Collins glass over ice and top with soda to taste.
Read MoreAgave y Sandia
1.5 oz 100% agave tequila .5 oz Combier or another orange liqueur 4-5 chunks fresh watermelon ¼ fresh lime 3-4 sprigs‘Margarita’ spearmint or rosemary Optional: fresh jalapeño slice Reserve a chunk of watermelon or herb sprig for garnish. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and crush with a muddler or wooden spoon, being sure to release all the watermelon juice. Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add garnish.
Read MoreThe Farmers Market
1.5 oz vodka (Try Glacier Potato Vodka from Idaho) Gin or tequila would also be lovely in this drink. 2-3 ‘Mexican Sour Gherkin’ cucumbers or regular cucumbers 1-2 stalks ‘Red Venture’ celery 2-3 sprigs cilantro or basil 2-3 slices small spicy or mild peppers 6 cherry tomatoes or 1-2 slices large tomato Dash of Worcestershire sauce (try Annie’s for a vegetarian version) 3-4 oz Q or Fever Tree tonic water Reserve a celery stalk, cherry tomato, or cucumber for garnish. Combine all ingredients excep the tonic water in a cocktail shaker and gently crush the vegetables and...
Read MoreGrow Your Own: The Heart of Agave Tequila Garden
Tequila! I could go for some right now. So of course, the folks at Log House Plants also put together a collection of plants based around the flavors in tequila. They’re a wholesale nursery, so they’re growing the plants for sale at retail garden centers and gourmet grocery stores on the West Coast. Look for them in your local indie garden center/grocery store, or order them online from the Territorial Seed Company, who has joined in this effort and put together a great collection of cocktail-friendly plants and seeds. Here are the plants in our Heart of Agave Tequila...
Read MoreBooks by Amy Stewart
The Drunken Botanist
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