Nature seems to
love making alcohol; take any plant with sugars present in it (any fruit and a
lot of grains) and let it sit out where wild yeasts can land in it, give it a
little time, and alcohol will appear. Humans have been taking advantage of this
for thousands of years and show no signs of losing their enchantment with
alcohol. It seems that no matter what area humans lived in, there was
*something* that could be turned into alcohol. And if it couldn’t be turned
into alcohol, it could be used to flavor alcohol.
Stewart has
written a book that, while small, is encyclopedic in style. First she takes us
through the plants- grains, potatoes, cacti, grasses - that are fermented and
distilled to make hard liquors; then she goes through categories like fruit,
sap (sugar maple), and roots that are
fermented and the herbs, seeds, nuts, and barks that are used to flavor the
brews. For each plant she tells us how and where it was/is used, what it adds
to the brew, which brands of the brew are best, and for many, how to grow the
plant. This is where the book ties into gardening: while the average gardener
won’t be growing grain and setting up a still, most gardeners are able to grow
some mint for mojitos, jalapenos for some special margaritas, cherry tomatoes
for a Blushing Mary, or a fruit tree. Face it; nearly everything in an
alcoholic drink comes from plants except for bacon vodka and Irish cream. And a
lot of those things are easy to grow. The author includes over 50 drink recipes
for the home mixologist.
The book
accomplished two things for me: I have a lot better understanding of alcohols
and the history of drinks, and I want to try a lot of things I can’t afford but
really want to taste, like violet liqueur and fancy vodka. And I’m looking at
my garden with a new eye: what can I grab out of it to make a drink?
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