By Debbie Boutelier
Join Debbie Boutelier for a new webinar on Thursday, October 20th, at 1 pm Eastern. See below for details!
Fall and winter are the perfect “thyme” to enjoy some new seasonal herbal libations. As we move away from the oppressive heat of summer with our icy and light drinks enjoyed by the pool or lakeside, we can curate our offerings with the stronger, more flavorful herbs. Herbal cocktails and mocktails continue to be very popular and have the perfect flavor profile for wowing our guests as we entertain for the holidays.
Throughout the ages, herbs have been added to drinks because they aided digestion; they were fortifying for the seasons; they lifted one’s mood; and they smelled and tasted absolutely amazing! Crafting a flavorful cocktail to offer your guests is easy and a lot of fun. Using your creativity and a few good herbal tricks, you can develop your own signature cocktail that your guests will be talking about and begging you for the recipe.
Here are a few tips to get you started on your creative and tasty journey:
Start with the classics and embellish them with herbs. One of the very first cocktails I enjoyed was a classic Bloody Mary. I loved tomato juice, and I was totally infatuated and intrigued with the celery stick garnish. (It didn’t take much to impress me at that early age!) Now, I have so much fun with a Bloody Mary, and it doesn’t taste anything like that Plain Jane Bloody Mary of years past. There are so many herbs that pair nicely with tomatoes. With a high-powered blender, add a few Mediterranean herbs to the juice. There will be a wonderful flavor without the flecks of herbs floating in the glass. Then, to top it off, add a salted rim around the top. Not just any plain salt will do. Make your own finishing salt with chile and a little lime. Yum!- Make an herbal infusion as the primary base of a cocktail. One of my favorites this week (it changes frequently!) is a hibiscus, ginger, and mint infusion. Add a couple of droppers of a citrus bitter that you can easily make and top with tonic water or club soda. Garnish with a sprig of mint and an orange twist.
- Make an herbal simple syrup. Simple syrup is in the DNA of any southern gal, but is easy to make. Start with one cup of filtered water. Add one cup of organic cane sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid is clear. Add an herb of choice, remove from the heat and cover. Let sit for at least fifteen minutes. Taste. If a stronger flavor is desired, remove the herb and add some fresh. Let steep a little longer. Removing the spent herb is important as it may get bitter and ruin the syrup. The syrup can be refrigerated for up to a week and frozen if needed. For fall and winter, an elderberry syrup is a good choice. Elderberries are a great way to drink your medicine as they are very effective against colds and flu. Make an Elderberry Champagne Cocktail by adding 1 ounce of gin and 1 ounce of elderberry syrup to a champagne flute. Top with chilled Champagne and garnish with a berry skewer. This takes toasting to a whole different level!
Now it’s time to party! Invite a few friends over, serve some appetizers and your wonderful new herbal creations, and enjoy the accolades. Salut!
There is still time to register for Holiday Herbs Cocktail Party on Thursday, October 20th, at 1 pm Eastern. The webinar, free for members and just $7.50 for all others, will include recipes, tips, and techniques for creating your own signature holiday cocktails. A recording is emailed following the presentation if you are unable to attend. https://www.herbsociety.org/hsa-learn/herb-education/hsa-webinars/
Photo credits: 1) Bourbon mint tea (Creative Commons, thebittenword); 2) Bloody Mary (Creative Commons, TheCulinaryGeek); 3) Sage gin with rosemary (Creative Commons, danielle_blue).
Debbie Boutelier is The Herb Society of America’s GreenBridges™ Chair and HSA Past President. She is an Alabama Advanced Master Gardener and has studied the medicinal uses of herbs for many years, completing a three-year intensive study of the medicinal aspect of herbs at the Appalachian Center of Natural Health. Debbie now teaches nationally and presents seminars and workshops on the many aspects of herbs, organic gardening, nutrition, and other garden related topics. Debbie’s herb passion has led to the creation of her small cottage herb business, Rooted in Thyme Apothecary.
Hello and happy summer to all of you! This year, I was super lucky and got to attend The Philadelphia Flower Show, one of the premier horticultural events in the country. It is the nation’s largest and the world’s longest running horticultural event, and features stunning displays by some very talented and amazing floral and landscape designers. It is also the major fundraiser for The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which was founded in 1827. Their efforts include building community gardens, creating public gardens, and offering educational opportunities. This year, the show made history by going outdoors for the first time. 
This made it possible for more displays and also offered major improvements to FDR park in South Philadelphia where the show was located. Being outdoors had some challenges as the weather was less than cooperative. It was also a new time of year for the show, being in June rather than the traditional February, which is a slower time for gardeners, landscapers, and growers. There was a heat wave and major thunderstorm activity that blew the roof off a few displays and wiped out a few gardens. Yet despite the challenges of a new location, it was one of the best years ever, and coming out of the challenges of 2020, attendees were thrilled to be outdoors enjoying nature, plants, and each other. I heard several times how happy everyone was to just be there, and one designer even commented, “It was plants that got us through last year and the COVID pandemic and the reason we are here today.”
Recycle: Reusing, recycling and upcycling is not a new idea, but it is one that is here to stay. Many of the displays used materials that often end up in landfills. One team even built a bench and filled it with discarded plastic, pots, hoses, tools, and old garden ornaments. Another display had a flock of birds all fashioned out of used aluminum soda cans. 
Pollinators: Planting for pollinators is something we herb lovers just know how to do. There were so many displays focused not just on bees, but on other pollinators as well, such as birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and even cicadas. I got to attend the butterfly experience, which was magical, and also learned that you really have to do some research to attract butterflies to your yard. Each species has different things they need from their potential host plants. 
Herbs: The use of herbs was everywhere and in almost every display. The focus was on local plants and also ones that were useful. I noticed a lot of yarrow, lavender, rosemary, and thyme. I think this is due to the fact that they are so popular and easily recognized, loved by pollinators, and also can withstand drought conditions and bad weather (which this outdoor show certainly had!). 
Janice Cox is an expert on the topic of natural beauty and making your own cosmetic products with simple kitchen and garden ingredients. She is the author of three best-selling books on the topic: Natural Beauty at Home, Natural Beauty for All Seasons, and Natural Beauty from the Garden. She is currently the beauty editor for Herb Quarterly Magazine, is a member of the editorial advisory board for Mother Earth Living Magazine, and is a member of The Herb Society of America, International Herb Association, United States Lavender Growers Association, Oregon Lavender Association, and Garden Communicators International. 
Gardening has long been a popular pastime. The pandemic, and subsequent lockdown, has only increased gardening’s popularity. Planting perennials and annuals for beauty, texture, and joy, while rewarding, is tame. It is when you cross into the herb gardening world that things get a little weird. 
economic, and medicine, among other uses. This is where things can get strange. For example, lamb’s ear (
Looking for more weird? Join us on February 16th at 1:00pm EST for horticulturist and author Amanda Thomsen’s program titled, “Weird Herbs.” In this fun, fast-paced webinar, participants will learn about new and unusual herbs and see examples of using everyday herbs in strange ways. Admittedly, I am curious if Amanda will be able to identify plants that have not yet gained the attention of our experienced members. Undoubtedly, Amanda will spark our creativity, and our “plant wish lists” will expand while enjoying a few horticultural giggles. 
Amanda Thomsen 
one-woman gardening show, Mud Life Crisis. She has a monthly column in the garden center industry magazine, Green Profit. Amanda was chosen to attend the Better Homes and Gardens Stylemaker event in NYC in 2017 & 2018.
Chocolate: food or medicine? For centuries, chocolate was consumed primarily as medicine. Cacao, from which chocolate is derived, was the basis for prescriptions promising relief from such ailments as anemia, alopecia, fever, gout, heart disease, kidney and liver disease, along with tuberculosis. Prescriptions from the 16th and 17th centuries would combine cacao with cinnamon, sugar, pepper, cloves, vanilla, and/or anise to ease common complaints. Certainly modern day amoxicillin could benefit from such a delicious concoction. 
Join us on January 12th at 1pm EST when HSA’s guest speaker and author, Sarah Lohman, joins us for a “History of Chocolate.” During this program, we’ll uncover the history of chocolate, from its roots as an ancient Meso-American beverage to a contemporary melt-in-your-mouth chocolate bar. You’ll learn how a yellow, football-shaped tropical fruit transforms into high-end dark chocolate and what “Mexican Hot Chocolate” actually has in common with what Montezuma drank. We’ll cover botany, “Chocolate Wars,” and what makes Hershey’s distinctive flavor.
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