Boston Flora

Tag: bitters

  • Friday, October 10, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Botanicals, Bitters, and Booze: Botanical Fall Cocktails

    Enjoy an in-depth conversation from 2 – 4 pm on October 10 at MoonCloud in Great Barrington, discussing the history, geography, medicinal origins and modern uses of the world’s beautiful cocktail modifiers. We will showcase the integral elements of amaro, vermouth and fortified and aromatized wines with the techniques of building and enjoying craft cocktails at home and abroad. Included will be a packet of information for guests to read along and take home and stories about some of the “essential botanicals” such as cinchona bark, gentian and wormwood. There will also be recipes and literature about the “Three Featured Cocktails,” which guests will build, mix and tip back. Our first hour, we will enjoy the seminar and fun-fact frenzy from Billy Jack, followed by an hour of guests hands-on building and mixing their own cocktails to enjoy in the yard. Held on the lawn behind MoonCloud, 47 Railroad St. in Great Barrington, MA. Sponsored by Berkshire Botanical Garden, fees $85 for BBG members, $90 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/botanicals-bitters-and-booze-botanical-fall-cocktails-presented-conjunction-mooncloud

    Billy Jack Paul is a Berkshire native who has been bartending for 19 years all over Berkshire County and North Carolina, as well as some guest appearances in Boston, NYC, and Oaxaca, México. He is the bartender/owner of MoonCloud in Great Barrington, MA. With a passion for the true roots of the industry, Billy Jack has studied the history and geography, as well as the botanical and medicinal origins, of spirits and cocktails. In addition to sharing the great stories of classic cocktails, he enjoys telling many of his own stories through dynamic themes and historical and/or literary references that act as “characters” in any given drink. “A cocktail is worth a thousand words,” he says, as he develops flavors and layers within each sip.

  • Sunday, November 10, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Bitters and Tinctures for Health and Wellness

    Join Folk Herbalist and bartender Amber Kennedy in this instructional herbalism Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop ideal for the curious and the novice alike. The taste of bitter is an important aspect of digestive health. Regularly incorporating bitter greens, foods and herbs into meals can support healthy digestion and metabolism. In this hands on workshop you will learn how bitter herbs are vital for digestive health and overall well being and all about their more well known use in craft cocktails and mocktails. Discover the historical uses of bitters from the apothecary to the bar. Discuss the virtues and health benefits of the roots, barks, herbs and flowers we will be using in class and see and experience some of these plants and herbs close up. Learn of some ways to begin incorporating bitter herbs into your life and the various preparations they can be turned into. Sip on herbal teas and sample bitters formulas and an herbal mocktail during class. Make your own bottle of herbal bitters to bring home along with recipes and formulas for creating your own. Fee includes all materials. The class will be held Sunday, November 10 from 12:30 – 3, and is $45 for Tower Hill members, $59 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org. Image from www.surlatable.com

    Amber is a Folk Herbalist based in North Brookfield. She teaches beginners herbalism classes and Medicinal Weed Walks throughout Central MA. She also stewards a teaching garden, offers herbal wellness consultations and a yearly Herbal CSA and creates and sells a botanical product line, teas and folk remedies.

  • Sunday, November 13, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – DIY Bitters: Talk, Demo & Book Signing

    Explore the history and health benefits of bitters and learn how to make them at home with herbalist Guido Mase, co-author of DIY Bitters: Reviving the Forgotten Flavor. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden session will take place Sunday, November 13 from 2 – 4 and will include tastings. Co-sponsored with the Herbal Community of Central Massachusetts.  $25 for members of sponsoring organizations, $35 for nonmembers.  Register on line at www.towerhillbg.org, or call 508-869-6111, ext 124. Tower Hill is located at 11 French Drive in Boylston, Massachusetts.

  • Friday, October 23, 8:00 am – 3:30 pm – Let’s Drink to That! A Symposium on the History of Herbal Libations

    Learn about shrubs, bitters, herbal cordials, infused wines, and more on Friday, October 23 from 8 – 3:30 at the Hunnewell Carriage House, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. The use of herbs in intoxicants and distilled beverages is part of an ancient and traditional rite of celebration. Enjoy a day of exploration of these amazing beverages featuring five lectures or demonstrations, an herbal lunch, taste samplings of herbal beverages, and a silent auction.

    Speakers include Dr. Judith Sumner, John Forti and Susan Belsinger. Lunch catered by Stockbridge Herbs. The program is sponsored by The New England Unit of The Herb Society of America. Cost is $90 if you register before October 5, $105 thereafter. Register at www.neuhsa.org or call 508-869-0545.