The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks (66 page)
Read The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks Online
Authors: Amy Stewart
Tags: #Non-Fiction
He collected as many plants as he could, but only five survived the voyage home. Two went to the ship's cargo master as an expression of thanks for letting him use some of the ship's limited supply of fresh water to care for the plants. One went to his supervisor and one to the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, leaving him with a single plant.
European botanists were happy to have the Chilean strawberry, but there was one problem: it was sterile. The only way to get more plants was to divide it. What Frézier didn't know is that Chilean strawberries can be male, female, or bisexual. He chose the plants
that were bearing the largest fruit, and those happened to all be female. They needed males nearby to reproduce and create larger, more luscious fruit.
Eventually farmers realized that the males of other strawberry species could do the job. By the mid-nineteenth century, the Chilean strawberry had been crossed with a native Virginian species that has also been brought to Europe,
F. virginiana,
and the modern strawberry was born.
THE FRÃZIER AFFAIR
This daiquiri variation uses Chartreuse as a nod to Amédée François Frézier's French heritage. The yellow version is sweeter, but if you only have the green version, use it along with a dash of simple syrup. St-Germain, an elderflower liqueur, is another good substitute.
3 slices ripe strawberry
1½ ounces white rum
½ ounce yellow Chartreuse
Juice of 1 fresh lemon wedge
Reserve 1 strawberry slice for garnish. In a cocktail shaker, combine the remaining ingredients and crush the strawberries with a muddler. Shake over ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the reserved strawberry slice.
PEPPER
Capsicum annuum, C. frutescens
solanaceae (nightshade family)
T
his tropical American plant was domesticated by native people fifty-five hundred years ago. A species called the wild bird pepper (
Capsicum annuum
var.
aviculare
) still grows in South and Central America and is believed to be the most similar to the original pepper in its wild, unadulterated state. The plant produces tiny fruit, each about the size of a raisin and shockingly hot.
The Aztecs called these peppers
chilli.
When Columbus arrived, thinking he'd reached India, he called the dried, shriveled fruits “peppers” because they resembled black pepper from India. Once the plants reached Europe, Spaniards attempted to rename them
pimento
to clear up the confusion. That name was applied to a particular kind of sweet pepper still popular in Spain, but otherwise the name pepper (or chili pepper) stuck.
A pepper is a fruit filled with air instead of juicy flesh. More specifically, it's a berry, a berry being a single ovary containing seeds, but only a botanist would ever call it that. The fruit gets its heat from capsaicin, a substance that appears in highest concentrations in the inner membrane of the fruit and in its seeds. While capsaicin doesn't cause a physical burn, it does send a signal to the brain that something's on fire. The brain responds by issuing pain signals in an attempt to persuade the body to get away from the fireâfast.
The brain also releases a flood of endorphins, or natural painkillers, when it believes an injury like a burn has occurred. For that reason, hot peppers can deliver a genuine sense of euphoriaâeven when they're not in a cocktail.
Peppers require rich soil, warm temperatures, bright sunlight, and regular water to flourish. Gardeners should choose their cocktail varieties according to taste; there's no reason to grow fresh jalapeños if you can't stand the heat.
Cayenne
: A hot spice made from crushed, dried cayenne peppers.
Paprika
: A mild spice made from crushed, dried sweet peppers.
THE PEPPADEW MYSTERY
Peppadew is the brand name of a kind of marinated sweet
pepper that its manufacturer calls a sweet piquanté pepper. According to the company, a man named Johan Steenkamp discovered the plant growing in the backyard of his summer home in Tzaneen, South Africa. The jarred peppers have become so popular in cocktails and appetizers that gardeners have gone mad trying to find the seeds, but the company keeps the variety name a secret and has claimed international breeders' rights to control access to the pepper. Until Peppadew divulges its secrets, try growing Cherry Pick or, for a little more heat, Cherry Bomb.
BLUSHING MARY
1½ ounces vodka or tequila
4 to 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 mild or hot pepper, sliced
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 to 3 leaves of basil, parsley, cilantro, or dill
4 ounces tonic water
Celery bitters
Cracked black pepper (optional)
Slice of pepper, cherry tomato, herb leaf, celery stick, or olive for garnish
Combine the first five ingredients in a cocktail shaker; then use a muddler to crush the vegetables and herbs. Shake well over ice and strain into an Old-Fashioned glass filled with ice. Add the tonic water and stir. Finally, add a dash of celery bitters, crack a bit of black pepper on top, if desired, and add your choice of garnish. Vegetarians wishing to avoid the anchovies in regular Worcestershire can try the Annie's Naturals brand.
Vintners, brewers, distillers, and bartenders are an endlessly inventive lot. The cocktail revival that is under way in the first part of the twenty-first century, coupled with a renewed interest in fresh, local ingredients, means that drinkers will be treated to an ever-changing menu of interesting drinks. Obscure plants will come into vogue, long-forgotten herbal ingredients will be revived, and new, improved varieties will make it easier than ever to grow a damson plum or a black currant in your own backyard.
The end of this book is only the beginning of a dialogue about botany and booze. Visit me at
DrunkenBotanist.com
for plant and liquor sources, bibliographies and recommended reading lists, botanical cocktail events, farm-to-distillery tours, recipes, and techniques for both gardeners and mixologists. If you've got a question, a quarrel, a good gin recommendation, or a new horticultural discovery of your own, drop me a note through the website. I'd love to continue the conversation over a good drink.
Salud!
recipes
Beattie, Scott, and Sara Remington.
Artisanal Cocktails: Drinks Inspired by the Seasons from the Bar at Cyrus.
Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2008.
Craddock, Harry, and Peter Dorelli.
The Savoy Cocktail Book.
London: Pavilion, 1999.
DeGroff, Dale, and George Erml.
The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master Bartender, with 500 Recipes.
New York: Clarkson Potter, 2002.
Dominé, André, Armin Faber, and Martina Schlagenhaufer.
The Ultimate Guide to Spirits & Cocktails.
Königswinter, Germany: H. F. Ullmann, 2008.
Farrell, John Patrick.
Making Cordials and Liqueurs at Home.
New York: Harper & Row, 1974.
Haigh, Ted.
Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie and Beyond: 100 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them.
Beverly, MA: Quarry Books, 2009.
Meehan, Jim.
The PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender's Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy.
New York: Sterling Epicure, 2011.
Proulx, Annie, and Lew Nichols.
Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider.
North Adams, MA: Storey, 2003.
Regan, Gary.
The Joy of Mixology.
New York: Clarkson Potter, 2003.
Thomas, Jerry.
How to Mix Drinks, or, The Bon Vivant's Companion: The Bartender's Guide.
London: Hesperus, 2009.
Vargas, Pattie, and Rich Gulling.
Making Wild Wines & Meads: 125 Unusual Recipes Using Herbs, Fruits, Flowers & More.
North Adams, MA: Storey, 1999.
Wondrich, David.
Imbibe! From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar.
New York: Perigee, 2007.
gardening
Bartley, Jennifer R.
The Kitchen Gardener's Handbook.
Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2010.
Bowling, Barbara L.
The Berry Grower's Companion.
Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2008.
Eierman, Colby, and Mike Emanuel.
Fruit Trees in Small Spaces: Abundant Harvests from Your Own Backyard.
Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2012.
Fisher, Joe, and Dennis Fisher.
The Homebrewer's Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Brewing Herbs, Malts.
North Adams, MA: Storey, 1998.
Hartung, Tammi.
Homegrown Herbs: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Enjoying More Than 100 Herbs.
North Adams, MA: Storey, 2011.
Martin, Byron, and Laurelynn G. Martin.
Growing Tasty Tropical Plants in Any Home, Anywhere.
North Adams, MA: Storey, 2010.
Otto, Stella.
The Backyard Orchardist: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden.
Maple City, MI: OttoGraphics, 1993.
Otto, Stella.
The Backyard Berry Book: A Hands-on Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden.
Maple City, MI: OttoGraphics, 1995.
Page, Martin.
Growing Citrus: The Essential Gardener's Guide.
Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2008.
Reich, Lee, and Vicki Herzfeld Arlein.
Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden.
Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2008.
Soler, Ivette. T
he Edible Front Yard: The Mow-Less, Grow-More Plan for a Beautiful, Bountiful Garden.
Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2011.
Tucker, Arthur O., Thomas DeBaggio, and Francesco DeBaggio.
The Encyclopedia of Herbs: A Comprehensive Reference to Herbs of Flavor and Fragrance.
Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2009.
I owe a round of drinks to the many distillers, bartenders, botanists, anthropologists, historians, and librarians who took the time to answer my questions, share their work, and help me chase down obscure facts. This is only a partial list, but here it goes: in the booze world, thanks to Alain Royer and his French connections, Bianca Shevlin at SABMiller, Don Poffenroth at Dry Fly Distilling, Mrs. Loes van der Woude at Curaçao, Melkon Khosrovian of Greenbar, Tyler Schramm of Pemberton Distillery, Tom Burkleaux at New Deal Distillery, Matt Mount at House Spirits, Eric Seed and Scott Krahn at Haus Alpenz, Joel Elder and Gable Erenzo at Tuthilltown, Isabella D'Anna at Verviene du Velay and the Cassissium, the legendary Stephen McCarthy of Clear Creek Distillery, the incomparable Jacqueline Patterson at Lillet, Allison Evanow at Square One, everyone at St. George Spirits, Jose Hermoso at International Wine & Spirit Research, David Williamson of the Scotch Whisky Association, Matt Colglazier of Sorgrhum fame, Woodford Reserve master distiller Chris Morris, Scott Goldman at Cadre Noir Imports, David Suro-Piñera at Sierra Azul, Greg Lorenz at SakeOne, Debbie Rizzo of DrinkPR, Nathan Greenawalt of Old Sugar Distillery, and Avery Glasser of Bittermens.