Last year about this time, I’d just completed trialing a few creations for a couple who was soon to wed and wanted some bespoke cocktails for the celebration.
I have long advocated for eating ~ and drinking ~ with the seasons, so as author of Art of the Garnish, I couldn't wait to whip up a few drink designs based on two of the best ingredients: Fall and Love. (Or should I say, “falling in love?!”)
Don’t you love Kiku? It’s even fun to just say it: Kiku, Kiku, Kiku!
Kiku is, in fact, the Japanese word for “chrysanthemum” ~ the most celebrated of all Japanese fall-flowering plants.
For me? I so often “rescue” chrysanthemums from suburban cast-offs left on the street for pick up near our country house and guess what? They rebloom gloriously. The variety of colors and bloom types are a perfect way to mark the season.
I also feature the blossoms as a pretty Garden-to-Glass, Kiku Cocktail Garnish!
But for the real chrysanthemum art, running now, is The New York Botanical Garden’s unforgettable presentation of Kiku, painstakingly trained to grow in a mesmerizing variety of forms and sizes, that pays homage to hanami, the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the ephemeral beauty of flowers.
At long last, the fever broke.
It was a red-hot, sizzlin’ summer that wreaked havoc on my gardens.
By the time relief came in September, I was already dreaming of a tablescape design that would capture the spirit of the season.
And then, just like that, while gazing at the blue bay in front of me, I was tickled by the idiom, “Gone Fishing” ~ meaning we are taking a long break. And as Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong crooned in Gone Fishin': A way of getting away from the routine; taking time off; a vacation from the realities of life.
I got super excited to create a tablescape with a fishing theme!
If your herbs are too sassy, do you know how to slap them?
Seriously, a good whack releases or activates the aroma in an herb.
You can rub them and crush them and muddle them, too -- along with spices.
The sheer emphasis on quality, garden-to-glass ingredients has elevated mixology from “merely” bar tending to the art of using homegrown, hard-to-find and hand-crafted fixings to create innovative, sophisticated cocktails, as well as artful and reimagined takes on classic cocktails.
Here I am sharing some tips, recommendations, and informed guidance from my Art of the Garnish book to help you grow, cultivate, harvest; and hopefully expand your repertoire of garden-to-glass cocktail garnishes to make your happy hours, well, happier!
The Hamptons and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook: Local Food, Local Restaurants, Local Recipes (Homegrown Cookbooks)
The Hamptons and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook: Local Food, Local Restaurants, Local Recipes (Homegrown Cookbooks)
