Book Tour Dates
I’m on tour and I’d love to see you. We’re having cocktails and lots of laughs. You can always keep up with my events here, and if I’m not coming to your city, maybe we can do a library, bookstore, or book club Skype event.
Book Tour/Events
Tour dates!
It’s official! We’ve got tour dates all worked out. If there are any updates or changes, I’ll post them right here.
The only thing that matters on book tour is to fill the room with friendly faces–so if you’re in town, I hope you’ll stop by, and bring your friends. Hope to see you out there!
(NOTE–updated–Copperfield’s event is now in Petaluma, and we added a Houston event)
Now All We Need is a Cocktail!
We’ve only just begun to plan the book tour for Girl Waits with Gun, but I’m already working on a cocktail I can serve. (Book tour planned for Sept/Oct 2015; dates to be posted here.) After weeks of historical research and multiple trips to the liquor store, I think I’ve got it. The significance of the automobile might not be obvious to you until you’ve read the book, but I have to say that I am quite pleased with myself for coming up with a drink made entirely with ingredients that would have been available in 1914, based on a cocktail of the era whose name actually ties in with the book.
After much taste-testing last night (thanks to the six brave friends who turned out for this effort), I give you:
The New Jersey Automobile (Serves two)
½ oz applejack
½ oz gin
½ oz sweet vermouth
½ oz blackberry jam
4 oz sparkling wine
Combine the first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake well over ice. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the mixture, dividing it equally between two champagne coupes. Top each glass with two ounces of sparkling wine.
A historical and literary perspective: The Automobile is a cocktail dating to the 1910s that combines equal parts Scotch, gin, and sweet vermouth. Honestly, it’s a bit hard to take, as were most automobiles in the 1910s, judging from the Kopps’ experience with them. I swapped the Scotch for applejack to give it a New Jersey attitude, added jam for a little sweetness (see p. 30 for Norma’s opinion of jam), and topped it off with Champagne, which I believe Fleurette would have been very much in favor of if only Constance would’ve allowed it.
This drink is easy to mix for a crowd. Just combine equal parts of the first four ingredients ahead of time and stir vigorously with ice, then strain through a fine sieve to remove the ice and bits of jam. When guests arrive, pour one ounce of the mixture into each glass and top with two ounces sparkling wine.
To make the math easy, here’s a batch that serves 100, with suggested brands that are tasty and easy to find. Scale it up or down from here.
1 750 ml bottle Laird’s applejack
1 750 ml bottle Hendrick’s gin
1 750 ml bottle Dolin or Noilly Prat sweet vermouth
3 eight-ounce jars of jam (by volume, not weight. In other words, 3 cups of jam.)
8 bottles Segura Viudas Spanish cava
Announcing the New Book!
Hey folks! I’ve got some news! I just worked out a book deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a series of novels based on the true story of a woman in the early 1900s who, through a series of strange and interesting events, became one of the nation’s first female deputy sheriffs, and then went on to do other great things, including forming a detective agency with her sisters. I’ve been absorbed in the research for two years, and now it’s official.
While I’m finishing the edits on the first book (called Girl Waits With Gun, scheduled for publication sometime in 2015) I am still on the road doing lots of Drunken Botanist events! Check out all the 2014 dates here, and please do check back as things get updated.
Cheers and happy everything!
Margaritas in Denver, and a Contest
Hey folks! I’m headed back to Denver this weekend for the Douglas County Library’s Books, Bites, and Brews event. I’m going to give a little botany lesson on margaritas and you’ll get to drink a very well-made specimen. Don’t you feel smarter already?
And in other news–The Drunken Botanist is up for an award over at Goodreads. If you’re at all interested in voting, here’s the link.
October road trip!
Hey people! It’s just about time for the last farmers market cocktails of the year–and it’s time for me to hit the road. I’ll be all over the country this month. Here’s what’s coming up– see you there?
October 03 2013 06:00 PM — Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco, CA
An evening of botanical cocktail wonderfulness. Advance registration required.
October 08 2013 07:30 PM — Rae Dorough Speakers Series, Livermore, CA
The Drunken Botanist. Bankhead Theater, 2400 First Street, Livermore, CA.
October 09 2013 06:00 PM — Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO
Drunken Botanist lecture
October 10 2013 06:00 PM — The Bookworm, Edwards, CO
The Drunken Botanist. Stay tuned for details.
October 11 2013 09:00 AM — Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO
Drunken Botanist hands-on garden-to-glass workshop
October 15 2013 06:30 PM — United States Botanic Garden, Washington, DC
The Drunken Botanist talk and cocktails NOTE NEW LOCATION! Casey Trees at 3030 12th St NE, Washington DC. Note that this event is with the nonprofit National Fund for the USBG. Pre-registration online required.
October 16 2013 06:00 PM — Cylburn Arboretum, Baltimore, MD
The Drunken Botanist talk and reception, with food and drink! Ticket purchase required.
October 17 2013 06:30 PM — Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD
The Drunken Botanist. Details to come.
October 20 2013 01:00 PM — Green Spring Gardens, Alexandria, VA
The Drunken Botanist
October 21 2013 — Georgia Center for the Book, Atlanta, GA
The Drunken Botanist
October 22 2013 12:00 AM — Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, GA
The Drunken Botanist
October 23 2013 — Wing Haven Gardens, Charlotte, NC
Cocktail-themed events Oct 23 & 24! The Drunken Botanist at the Wing Haven Symposium
October 25 2013 05:30 PM — Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham, AL
The Drunken Botanist.
October 26 2013 04:00 PM — Catawba Science Center, Hickory, NC
A talk on Wicked Plants in conjunction with the Wicked Plants exhibit.
November 09 2013 — Douglas County Library, Highlands Ranch, CO
Books, Bites, and Brews. Ticket purchase required.
December 09 2013 06:00 PM — San Diego Horticultural Society, San Diego, CA
The Drunken Botanist This event is open to the public, but please check the website for details.
More Drunken Botanist Tour Dates, and Two Plants You Should Totally Grow.
Okay! A few more tour dates for you. See you out there? Go here if you want to see everything that’s coming up. And as always, check these venues for full details.
April 24 2013 — Culinary Arts & Letters, Chapel Hill, NC
Special cocktail event with The Crunkleton and Fearrington Inn. Details coming soon.
April 27 2013 02:00 PM — Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN
Flower Confidential
And now, I’ve got just a couple more drink/plant recommendations for you. Plants you probably aren’t growing but totally should.
Black Currant, the magic ingredient in cassis.
Why don’t we grow black currants in this country? Because it was banned in the 1920s for its role in spreading white pine blister rust. By 1966, the USDA realized that the ban was unnecessary and lifted it. Spores of the disease can only travel a thousand feet from black currant bush to pine tree, so keeping them out of pine forests is really pretty easy. Besides, many new varieties are disease-resistant. The ban remains in place in ten states on the east coast, but agricultural scientists at Cornell are working with those states to educate them about black currant and persuade them to lift the ban.
So you can certainly grow them. Read more about that here, and remember that the fine people at Clear Creek Distillery make an excellent American version of cassis if you don’t want to bother growing your own.
Sloes! Are you growing sloes? Also known as the blackthorn bush or by its Latin name, Prunus spinosa, this large European hedgerow plant produces the small, tart fruit used to make sloe gin. It’s hard to find in these parts, but try Forest Farm nursery in Oregon or Lincoln Oakes nursery in North Dakota. Last I heard, Forest Farm was growing a grand total of 20 of these per year, demand was so light. I am determined to change that! Let’s freak them out and all order sloes! Read about sloes, and about sloe gin, here as well.
Okay! Thus concludes news from the road and garden-y cocktails. For now. First, I’m going away for a nice long rest….
Drunken Botanist Tour Dates: Southwest, East Coast, and Where is the Gin?
Yes, I am still on the road! It’s hard to believe, I know. I can hardly believe it myself.
So here are some tour dates, and the complete list, if you’d like to see it, is here. As always, check details with the venue before heading out.
April 17 2013 07:00 PM — Changing Hands Books, Tempe, AZ
Join us for a talk about The Drunken Botanist–and a fabulous cocktail made with Dripping Springs Vodka.
April 18 2013 06:00 PM — Arizona Science Center, Phoenix, AZ
This is a private event for Director’s Circle Members only.
April 19 2013 07:00 PM — ArtBar with Bookworks, Albuquerque, NM
This event will be at ArtBar, 119 Gold Ave SW. Albuquerque, where we will drink some fabulous cocktails. Bookworks is sponsoring the event.
April 22 2013 06:30 PM — Science of Distillation, Boston, MA
A special Museum of Science event held at Grand Ten Distilling. Talk, tour, and tasting included in ticket price, and fabulous food available for purchase from The Dining Car food truck. Advance ticket purchase required.
April 23 2013 08:00 PM — 92nd Street Y, New York City, NY
The Drunken Botanist at Warburg Lounge. Ticket purchase required.
April 24 2013 — Culinary Arts & Letters, Chapel Hill, NC
Special cocktail event with The Crunkleton and Fearrington Inn.
April 27 2013 02:00 PM — Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN
Flower Confidential
And I have one last plant collection for you. I think I’ve saved the best for last, because really, what spirit goes best with just about any herb, fruit, or vegetable than gin? So this is the Old Tom Gin Garden, named after a sweeter style of gin that was popular in the 19th century. But to be honest, we just liked the name.
It was incredibly easy to come up with plants to pair with gin. If anything, we had a hard time figuring out what not to include. But in the end, we settled on two kinds of cucumber, borage, basil, and lemon thyme.
I want to tell you about one of these cucumbers. It’s not actually a cucumber at all. ‘Mexican Sour Gherkin’ is a close relative, Melothria scabra, native to Central America and Mexico, with a bright, tart flavor a bit bolder than a cucumber—but the flavor isn’t the only reason to grow this one. The fruits themselves are only the size of a grape, but they resemble miniature watermelons, with a mottled green and white skin. They’re the perfect size for a drink garnish, and the plants are surprisingly prolific. Well worth growing. (get them here)
Anyway, those are the plants, all available from Territorial and also through West Coast garden centers supplied by Log House Plants. And your cocktail for the week? How about this?
The Herbarium
1.5 oz Hendrick’s Gin
.5 oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur
3-4 chunks lemon cucumber
2-3 sprigs basil
¼ lemon
Club soda
Borage blossom or basil leaf for garnish
Squeeze lemon into cocktail shaker and combine all ingredients except the club soda. Muddle cucumber and basil, then add ice, shake, and strain into a tall, skinny Collins glass filled with ice. Top with club soda and add garnish.
Drunken Botanist events in Milwaukee, Miami, and Beyond. Plus, Whiskey.
Why, yes! It’s another week of Drunken Botanist tour dates? Are you out there, Milwaukee people? Miami people? Austin? Phoenix?
Well, if you’re interested, all the tour dates are here, and as always, check with the venue to confirm event details before heading out.
April 10 2013 07:00 PM — Boswell Books at Great Lakes Distillery, Milwaukee, WI
Join me and the folks from Boswell Books at Great Lakes Distillery for a free tasting and talk! Co-sponsored by Boerner Botanical Gardens.
April 11 2013 07:30 PM — Magers & Quinn, Minneapolis, MN
Drunken Botanist book tour
April 12 2013 08:00 PM — Books & Books, Coral Gables, FL
Drunken Botanist book tour
April 13 2013 07:00 PM — Books & Books, Grand Cayman
The Drunken Botanist
April 16 2013 07:00 PM — Book People, Austin, TX
Come sample a botanical cocktail from Tito’s Handmade Vodka, mixed with Liber & Co tonic, and learn about cocktail-friendly plants with the folks from Great Outdoors Nursery.
April 17 2013 07:00 PM — Changing Hands Books, Tempe, AZ
Join us for a talk about The Drunken Botanist–and a fabulous cocktail made with Dripping Springs Vodka.
And now–whiskey!
The Southern Belle Whiskey Garden collection was a tricky one to put together. When I think about the plants that go best with whiskey, I think about peaches, cherries, and oranges–none of which fit in a jumbo six-pack at a garden center. And since it was my job to come up with recipes that used the ingredients in each collection, quite a bit of experimentation took place.
We came up with another mint variety–‘Kentucky Colonel’ this time–which is widely regarded as the best mint julep mint. So that’s a no-brainer. Thyme and tarragon also made a lot of sense–the bold, woodsy flavors stand up well to peaches and other stone fruit that often gets mixed in whiskey drinks. And chamomile? Well, I found a chamomile hot toddy recipe that seemed downright medicinal in nature. Restorative, anyway. So we included that.
So here, then, is your recipe. Get more ideas here, and as always, remember that you can find these plants at Territorial or in garden centers on the West Coast supplied by wholesale nursery Log House Plants.
Tarragon Mint Julep
2 oz bourbon (I like Maker’s Mark)
3-4 tablespoons superfine sugar (see note)
Generous handful of fresh spearmint or tarragon, or a mixture of both
Crushed ice
Into a silver julep cup, mason jar, or highball glass, press 2 tablespoons of sugar with a small amount of water to create a paste. Add a layer of fresh mint leaves and crush gently. Top it with a layer of crushed ice. Sprinkle sugar and another layer of mint leaves, then top with another layer of crushed ice. Continue until the glass is full, then pour in bourbon.
Note: Superfine sugar dissolves quickly, but regular sugar is fine too. Don’t use powdered sugar—it contains cornstarch and can gum up a drink.
This Week in Drunken Botanist Tour Dates, and I’m Ready for Some Tequila
And on it goes! All Drunken Botanist tour dates are listed here, but this is what I’ve got going on this week. Please do check details with the venue before heading out. And then–please do head out! I’d love to see you. And you. All of you, really.
April 06 2013 05:00 PM — Eureka Theater Book Launch Party, Eureka, CA
5 PM: Lecture & slide show in the theater. 6-9 PM: Drinks served, book signing. The event is free; drink sales benefit the restoration of the historic Eureka Theater. A partnership with Eureka Books.
April 08 2013 07:00 PM — The Bookstall, Winnetka, IL
Drunken Botanist book tour
April 09 2013 11:30 AM — The Standard Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL
A Lunch & Learn member event in partnership with The Book Stall. 11:30 reception, noon luncheon & discussion.
April 09 2013 07:00 PM — Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, IL
A Drunken Botanist party with an assortment of cocktail-friendly plants from The Growing Place garden center and a tasting of Koval Distillery‘s floral liqueurs and botanical spirits.
April 10 2013 07:00 PM — Boswell Books at Great Lakes Distillery, Milwaukee, WI
Join me and the folks from Boswell Books at Great Lakes Distillery for a free tasting and talk! Co-sponsored by Boerner Botanical Gardens.
April 11 2013 07:30 PM — Magers & Quinn, Minneapolis, MN
And now–tequila? Did someone say tequila?
I share with you another of the plant collections I put together with Log House Plants and Territorial Seed Company. Territorial sells the plants and seeds online, and Log House, a wholesale grower, ships them to garden centers on the West Coast.
This was an easy one to put together–the Heart of Agave Tequila Garden. We included sage, pepper, watermelon, rosemary, and mint–and this time we chose a mint called ‘Margarita.’ But wait–margaritas don’t have mint in them! Don’t let that stop you. It’s a very pretty, lemony mint that is not as aggressive as most mints (your mileage may vary) and worth growing.
Read about the whole collection here, but meanwhile, here’s a tequila cocktail to get you through the week.
Agave Piña
1.5 oz 100% agave tequila
2 oz pineapple juice (fresh if possible)
.5 oz agave nectar or simple syrup
2-3 fresh jalapeño slices
2-3 sage leaves
½ small lime
Optional: Club soda or lemon-lime soda
Squeeze lime into cocktail shaker and add other ingredients. Muddle sage leaves and peppers to release the flavors. Shake well over ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Optional variation: Pour into a tall, skinny Collins glass over ice and top with soda to taste.