Spring has been warming us up to Sunday picnics, evening dinner parties, and most nostalgic of them all, summery sips of infused drinks and mixed cocktails.  A glimpse of the botanical abundance found in everyday cocktails was first introduced to us in a book, The Drunken Botanist, by Amy Stewart. Why not add more of an aromatic flavor experience to our cocktails this summer! If you’d like to craft a more complex taste then handcrafted bitters is a simple way to make familiar drinks seem new again! Bitters are concentrated liquor flavorings that are mixed into drinks to give a deeper and more complex flavor. Back in the day, they were used a medicinal tonics to help with indigestion but slowly have become a essential ingredient for mixologists and their tasty cocktails. The bitter taste can be derived a few different ways. Most commonly it comes from citrus peels or bitter roots and bark. The bitter taste is then extracted using alcohol that is at least 100 proof. The higher the proof, the more easily flavors …

Homemade broth reminds us of home, the familiar smell of stock on the stove brings back memories of mothers, grandmothers, leftovers, and of course, hot soup. Broth is one of those essential items to have in your kitchen. Not only delicious and comforting, it also is packed with health benefits. There’s a reason why grandmothers all around the world considered it a staple. It’s full of nutrients, comforting flavor, and it’s easy to make at home. What is it exactly? It is essentially boiled down bones with some vegetables and spices for enhanced flavor. The classic vegetables added to stock are called a mirepoix, which includes carrots, celery and onions. Traditional spices include peppercorns, parsley, and thyme. Adding additional flavoring agents such as garlic enhance the flavor further but aren’t necessary. You can use chicken bones, beef bones, duck bones or even fish bones. It’s best to use grass fed, organic animals because you will be boiling down the core of the animal and extracting all of those minerals and nutrients. When the bones are cooked, the structures breakdown …