The Wonders of Cassis

This is another in a series I'm writing for the North Coast Journal based on my book in progress, The Drunken Botanist. (Your intrepid reporter at the Cassissium.  Notice the pen and notebook. This is work.  Really.) After a week spent touring distilleries in France, Scott and I had come to suspect that anything called [...]

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Posted by on October 19, 2011 at 6:13 am   This post has 10 responses.

Peach and Bourbon Wonderfulness

This is the latest in a series I'm writing for the North Coast Journal loosely based on my next book, The Drunken Botanist, due out in 2013.  Read earlier cocktail-ish posts here.     Bess assisting with my photo shoot. It is almost too late to write this column–almost. ...

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Posted by on September 14, 2011 at 5:14 am   This post has 13 responses.

Mason Jar Cocktails

First, go out and get the best fruit you can find.  Ripe, juicy, almost past-their-prime peaches and nectarines would be a good start.  Watermelons or cantaloupes should also be very high on the list.  Strawberries will work, but a firmer fruit like a mango might not. You want more...

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Posted by on July 20, 2011 at 9:01 am   This post has 8 responses.

Drink This.

Gin.  (vodka if you must, but really–gin.  Hendrick's would be a fine choice.) Basil and cucumber, muddled. Squeeze of lime juice. Splash of Dry Cucumber Soda Happy Wednesday!

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Posted by on July 13, 2011 at 2:42 pm   This post has 12 responses.

It Was Research–I Swear!

  Because my next book involves plants and booze, I am required to spend a lot of money at liquor stores buying unusual spirits.  It's terrible, I know, but this is the sort of grueling research writers must put themselves through.  My husband is no help:  as a rare...

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Posted by on April 6, 2011 at 5:34 am   This post has 15 responses.

When life gives you lemon verbena, make Chartreuse

Or at least use some of your lemons for limoncello. There’s something about limoncello. It’s not exactly a subtle or complex taste. But—for many of us, anyway—everything about a bottle of limoncello radiates a hot day in Amalfi, where you’re surrounded by jasmine, wisteria, lemon trees, and stores that...

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Posted by on December 2, 2010 at 5:00 am   This post has 6 responses.

GardenRant Cocktail Hour: British Invasion

In what has to be our all-time favorite Cocktail Hour to date, Amy invites Gen Schmidt of NorthCoastGardening for a celebrity guest appearance, and Elizabeth tries to set her newly-remodeled kitchen on fire. First, the recipes: Elizabeth’s Dickensian punch, adapted from Splendid Table’s adaptation.  Do we really have to...

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Posted by on November 24, 2010 at 4:33 am   This post has 6 responses.

GardenRant Cocktail Hour: Hot Toddies

In which Elizabeth broadcasts live from her bulb bunker and Amy drinks from a Pyrex measuring cup for lack of more suitable barware. Here's Elizabeth's hot toddy recipe: Bourbon hot toddy  2 parts hot lemon mix  (using 2 cups water, 1/4 cup sugar rubbed with lemon peel, juice of...

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Posted by on November 18, 2010 at 4:13 am   This post has 6 responses.

Garden Rant Cocktail Hour: Halloween Edition

Welcome to a special episode of the GRCH.    The Witch’s Jellybeantini 1 part vodka, ½ part each Black Sambuca and Cassis (or any berry liquor), 2 parts cranberry juiceShake with ice, mutter an incantation, and enjoy. Bulb forcing tips: All hyacinths force well, but Single Early and Triumph are the...

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Posted by on October 31, 2010 at 5:00 am   This post has 7 responses.

Episode 4: Vodka, Gin, Tea; Barbara, Kathy, and Dee. And me.

Those of you reading this at 8 a.m. on a Sunday might not be quite ready for cocktails, but ready or not, here it is: another Garden Rant Cocktail Hour. This episode is a bit different: it is a combined Skype recording of discussions between Elizabeth and three other...

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Posted by on October 24, 2010 at 5:00 am   This post has 8 responses.

Episode III: We booze it up in an historic greenhouse

There are no recipes this time. Amy and I drank our Esprit de June straight. But we do recommend a look at this post and this site and these pictures to learn more about the wonderful Sonnenberg Gardens. Here's the live experience: > More to come! Look for future...

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Posted by on October 14, 2010 at 5:00 am   This post has 3 responses.

The GardenRant Cocktail Hour: Episode 2

In which Elizabeth gets all dressed up for a gala botanical garden event, while Amy drinks vodka straight out of a mason jar and talks to her chickens. Topics include Champagne, hibiscus flowers in syrup, raspberry-infused vodka, a certain Black & Decker home appliance, and–once again–hyacinths. Special guest appearance...

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Posted by on October 7, 2010 at 6:14 am   This post has 16 responses.

GardenRant Cocktail Hour: The Pilot

When we (Elizabeth and Amy) get together, we rummage through our respective liquor cabinets to see if we have anything new and interesting to drink that we can try out on the other.  But seeing as how we live across the country from each other—Elizabeth in Buffalo, Amy in...

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Posted by on September 30, 2010 at 5:00 am   This post has 20 responses.
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