On the surface, the annual Tales of the Cocktail conference appears to be about one thing: mixed alcoholic beverages. However, in recent years, both those inventing drinks and imbibing them have become more concerned about how sustainable their ingredients really are.
In the same sense, the term “foraging” has connotations of people out in the woods, carefully identifying and harvesting from plants growing wild. Shedding light on all of these subjects at the most recent Tales of the Cocktail were experts at making value-added items from all parts of plants, whether they’re carefully cultivated or simply found.
Leading “In the Weeds: Wild Flavors Behind the Bar” were Danny Childs, cocktail columnist for Edible Jersey and author of “Slow Drinks: A Field Guide to Foraging and Fermenting Seasonal Sodas, Botanical Cocktails, Homemade Wines and More,” and professional forager Tama Matsuoka Wong, author of “Into the Weeds: How to Garden Like a Forager.”
The concept of what is and is not a desirable plant changes as consumers’ tastes do, and growers can either be proactive or reactive when it comes to what they grow and offer. Childs offered up chicory as an example.
“Chicory is one of the most pervasive weeds in this country, but it’s similar to vegetables we eat,” he said. “It’s a cousin to dandelion … It was originally used out of necessity, but today it is still relevant – and delicious.”
Childs’s background is in ethnobotany but he said working in hospitality led him to his “a-ha” moment. He discovered that mixing drinks was a lot like ethnobotany (the study of relationships between humans and plants focusing on traditional knowledge, uses and management of plants by different cultures and societies, looking at both wild and domesticated species).
What does that field of study mean for growers in the real world? It means everything sprouting from your ground may have use. Consider these plants and the flavors they produce:
Bitter ingredients: Dandelion, chicory, artichoke, hops, sorrel
Acidic ingredients: Sumac, lemongrass, rhubarb, hibiscus
Floral ingredients: Yarrow, elderflower, honeysuckle, valerian, chamomile
Hardy herbs: Rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, lavender
Tender herbs: Mint, fennel, hyssop, dill, celery leaf, basil
Ingredients for spice: Coriander seed, fig leaves, fennel seed, birch, sassafras, spruce, pine, juniper
Professional forager Tama Matsuoka Wong (far left) said making the most of whatever is growing, either on your property or in the wild, is about utilizing all parts of plants. Photos by Courtney Llewellyn
Some of these are planted, harvested and marketed intentionally. Others are seen as nuisances, plants to be removed. Still others are simply part of the landscape. Childs and Matsuoka Wong are suggesting we all look at the bigger picture with them in mind.
During their session, attendees had the opportunity to sample some different cocktails made using “weeds” and unconventional plant products. One, “Hour of the Wolf,” is made of mezcal, amaro, orange, grape, sweet Annie, lemon verbena, angelica and wormwood.
“Sweet Annie is in the Artemesia genus – usually considered a weed,” Childs said. “But it has lots of phytonutrients. It helps fight malaria.”
Part of the daisy family, other Artemisia species include many hardy herbaceous shrubs, such as mugworts, sageworts, sagebrushes, wormwoods and tarragon.
Another quaff, “Danny’s Nocino,” was a liqueur made by Childs. The nocino’s history goes back to Ancient Roman times and it is traditionally made with unripe green walnuts. Danny’s version is made with black walnuts – which there are a lot of in America. (He even posted a video on YouTube demonstrating how to make the liqueur yourself.)
Using a “weed” like sweet Annie (center) can bring new and interesting flavors to all kinds of value-added products, including cocktails.
Why take advantage of “wild” plants at all, though, when so much effort goes into cultivating specific crops? Childs noted that plants under stress – those without ideal growing conditions – produce more secondary metabolites, which means more aroma and flavors.
“The more you coddle a plant, the less metabolites it produces,” he explained. “Plants have incredible plasticity – an ability to adapt to their environments. That leads to the flavors of terroir. And local terroir is critical.”
It’s commonly believed that only 25 different plants are consumed in the modern American diet – but there are thousands of edible plants. Childs said evergreens are the easiest place to start foraging, which means that those growing Christmas trees may be able to tap into a market beyond holiday décor.
Matsuoka Wong and Childs urged people to look at the timing of what plants offer as well as all their parts. In early spring, use shoots and buds. In late spring, flowers. In summer, flowers and fruit. In autumn, nuts and seeds.
“Take what there’s too much of,” Matsuoka Wong directed.
If you’re ready to add foraged or found products to your value-added options, though, do so carefully and legally.
“You need a HACCP [Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point] plan,” Childs said of using any part of a plant to create something new. “But if we can serve fiddlehead ferns in the kitchen, we can serve sweet Annie at the bar.”
by Courtney Llewellyn
