The Garden in Your Glass
Reviews by Kristina Sepetys
Forager’s Cocktails: Botanical Mixology with Fresh, Natural Ingredients
by Amy Zavatto
(Sterling Epicure, 2015)
Amy Zavatto writes about cocktails and wine for a variety of publications, and she draws on that knowledge in her book exploring drinks made from foraged and homegrown ingredients. With lovely color photos, this handy guide presents 40 recipes divided into seasons, as well as tips on how best to forage and preserve the freshest and tastiest berries, herbs, and flowers into drinks like Stinging Nettle Swizzle, Sheep Sorrel Shandy, Wild Strawberry Margarita, and Wild Mint Mojito. A book to help get the most from backyards, parks, and woodlands and craft tasty, one-of-a-kind cocktails.
Eat Your Drink: Culinary Cocktails
by Matthew Biancaniello
(Dey Street Books, 2016)
Matthew Biancaniello is well known in Los Angeles for mixing innovative drinks that make creative use of herbs and produce from local farmers’ markets. In his new book, Biancaniello shares imaginative drinks like the Heirloom Tomato Mojito, a 25-year-aged balsamic vinegar and strawberry libation named The Last Tango in Modena, and a fresh arugula-infused Roquette. The beautiful combinations present like lovely fruit or vegetable salads garnished with herbs or flowers. In the book, Biancaniello also shares the pain of growing up with an alcoholic mother, which might make his choice of livelihood seems surprising, but he describes how he is changing that through his work: “Slowly, one drink at a time, [I am] re-scripting my relationship with alcohol. Making it something . . . beautiful, fresh, and needing to be savored.”
The Homebrewer’s Garden, 2nd Edition:
How to Grow, Prepare & Use Your Own Hops, Malts & Brewing Herbs
by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher
(Storey Publishing, 2016)
Organic farmers and home brewers Joe and Dennis Fisher present simple instructions to guide you through every step of the brewing process, from setting up your first hop trellis to planting and caring for herbs, harvesting and drying them, malting grain, and brewing more than 25 recipes designed for homegrown ingredients. This fully updated second edition includes a new section featuring color photography of the plants, expanded information on growing hops in small spaces, innovative trellising ideas, an expanded section on malting, new profiles of prominent grower/brewers, and up-to-date information on grain-growing best practices.
