Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown branch out to cover the best market-bought plants alongside those they grow to elevate cocktails.
After seven years of exploring the endless possibilities for growing drink ingredients, we’re excited to broaden our view to include all the wonderful plants that hit their peak in both the shops and the veg patch. While mid-March to May off ers only a handful of local delights, some in-market goodies are at their best in spring. This is when we go through loads of citrus, from blood oranges and Meyer lemons to key limes – even though our every attempt at growing citrus fruits has ended in dismal failure and deep-seated envy every time we travel to a place where citrus trees line the pavements. Thus, our visits to the shops before making drinks.
NETTLES AND RASPBERRIES
Another unexpectedly good combination is nettles and raspberries. We use dried nettles to make nettle tea, then add sugar and raspberries and simmer on low for 20 minutes to make nettle and raspberry syrup. This combination is gorgeous with soda water, with or without alcohol, to create an herbaceous and cheery spritz. (Yes, it works nicely with sparkling wine, too.)
CUCUMBERS
The first glut of cucumbers in the shops comes in May. While they’re tightly associated with a gin brand these days, we can recall making 200-serving batches of cucumber-infused vodka (gasp) for parties decades ago. And we were doing this before we discovered that British author Kingsley Amis had created a cucumber-infused vodka Martini called the Lucky Jim in the 1960s. This fl avour is ripe for revival. While it pairs well with fresh dill, when you realise that cucumber plus sugar gives you a watermelon fl avour it opens another direction as well.
STRAWBERRIES
After the rise of the Gin Basil Smash, it’s surprising that a strawberry version never made it quite as far. The fl avour combination is truly delicious and simple to make. Freeze some fresh strawberries from the market when they arrive in March, then add two to four to the shaker with the ice. Shake hard – as always. While you could muddle fresh strawberries with the basil, the cells break more effectively and release much more colour and fl avour when frozen.
BLOOD ORANGE
Blood orange season is now, and that makes it Blood & Sand season. Come home from the market and extend your season by making a blood orange syrup and combining it with an equal amount of spirit to make a liqueur. Gin and vodka highlight the citrus, rum and tequila both bring out the creaminess, whisky turns it into a pre-bottled cocktail.
AVOCADOS
Avocados (the smooth-skinned kind) are also in season and seem to be the stone every generation of bartenders breaks themselves against. That and fresh pea shoots, which appear in April. Feel free to prove us wrong, but don’t invest too much effort in trying to make marketable drinks out of them.
SEASONAL INGREDIENTS
BRITISH: Rhubarb (MAR/APR/MAY), Wild Mushrooms (MAR/APR/MAY), Basil (APR/MAY) Chives (APR/MAY), Dill (APR/MAY), Pea shoots (APR), Samphire (APR/MAY), Sorrel (APR/MAY), Wild Nettles (APR/MAY), Chervil (MAY), Coriander (MAY), Cucumbers (MAY), Mint (MAY), Nasturtium (MAY), Oregano (MAY), Parsley (MAY), Rosemary (MAY), Sage (MAY), Tarragon (MAY).
IMPORTED: Avocados – Fuerte (MAR/APR/MAY), Bananas (MAR/APR), Blood oranges (MAR/APR/MAY), Grapes (MAR/APR), Kiwi (MAR/APR/MAY), Mangoes (MAR), Nectarines (MAR/APR), Peaches (MAR/APR), Pears (MAR/APR), Plums (MAR/APR), Pumpkin (MAR/APR), Raspberries (MAR), Strawberries (MAR), Watermelon (MAR).