Gin and tonics made from foraged tonic water

Foraged Tonic Water from Willow Bark and Rowan Berries

While exploring ideas for wild plant based cocktails to serve at the end of a private foraging course, I came up with this recipe for a foraged tonic water that has the added bonus of being a great non-alcoholic drink on its own. Based on willow bark as a replacement for cinchona, it can be gathered and made in about an hour, and keeps well if you want to stock up on a batch. 

The Medicinal Roots of Cocktail Bitters

A brief history of cocktail bitters and the medicinal plants that make them. First printed in the book Kew’s Teas, Tonics and Tipples. According to its most basic definition, a cocktail is simply a mix of two or more drinks, one of which contains alcohol. This simple premise proves to be an endless source of intoxicating concoctions…