now that we’re in full swing mojito season, this recipe is a delicious twist on the same ‘ole, same ‘ole. so simple, so stupendous. kind of like a goat, kind of like THE goat. there’s really no such thing as a young capricorn. born that little bit wiser than the all other signs, they enter this world years beyond their age, and actually seem to grow younger rather than older. the good news is that you don’t have to be an old goat to enjoy the depth of character and darkness of color in this normally light beverage.

the incredibly powerful acai berry is ruled by saturn due to it’s rather dull taste and dark color. the one negative to this amazing fruit is that it is actually high in acid. cheers!

MOJITO NOIR:
2 oz spiced black rum
1 juicy lime, cubed
2 tbsp sugar (superfine)
açaí juice

Muddle 3 sprigs mint with sugar, lime. Add ice, rum. Top with açaí juice. Stir.

just in time for st paddy’s day, the lime belongs to saturn, making this little green fruit a capricorn. speaking of saturn, the world is enduring a saturnine cosmic hail storm as we speak. for hell hath no fury like the cold, ringed planet scorned. she’s spitting unripe, rock hard limes out of the sky… wacking us all in the head for not paying attention sooner. for ignoring the structure of our world and how ridiculously and artificially propped up it is… forcing us to face our rudimentary societal problems. yup, saturn (capricorn) is the zodiacal beheamoth that will bring even the strongest to their knees. (a rendez vous with mars, the warrier planet, will seem like a trip to the day spa after tangling with saturn). her spanking is not only physical, but emotional, mental, and psychological.

oh yes, those ruled by saturn are all too aware, there is no pleasure without pain. from every wrong, comes a right. so from the turmoil, chaos, and saturn’s dark days of terror will come the brightest and most euphoric light your little mind dare dream up. the light you always knew existed. the bliss you always knew was yours. it’s the getting to it that’s the hard part.

and based on the research of ancient seers, modern day astrologers, channelers, shamans, and even pundits, that day will come sometime post 2012. so until then my friends, we must all hang on to our sombreros and wait until the sun comes out. here’s a little something to make that wait easier… it’s called the CHELADA and it’s served with love at COMIDA (82nd & columbus, nyc). stop in and roll this mexican masterpiece around your mouth, and you’ll agree… lime is better when lubed with beer… cheers to the chelada.

CHELADA
fill glass with ice, add shot of fresh lime juice, fill with beer. don’t forget to rim the glass with sea salt!

the workaholic honey bee is certainly one of saturn’s capricornian minions. pay homage to the hardest working insect of the zodiac and enjoy this classic tipple. bees are like any other capricorn… without them… the world would grind to a halt. the goat, or bee, sees to it that things happen, deadlines get met, honey gets made, savings accounts are opened, combs of honey are stored for winter, ect. so thank your fellow capricorn next time you get the chance for keeping the spokes of our big world wheel turning.

don’t forget to also thank the honey bee by:

***planting a garden (yes one plant on your city rooftop does count),

***buying organic produce (and avoiding GM foods like corn, white rice, papaya. unfortunately, the only way to be sure you are avoiding GM foods is to buy organic due to the absence of government required labeling)

***minimizing your use of pesticides (rethink your lawn care and try going au natural. or practice integrated pest management)

***limiting the use of your cell phone (and all other wireless devices. FYI, these are also bad for us.)

***for the very ambitious among us, raising a hive. it’s not as hard as it sounds, and can be quite meditative.)

***taking government action: read here on how germany just outlawed several pesticides. (god forbid the US could so something as intelligent and progressive as that.)

SAVE THE BEES KNEES
2 oz organic gin
3/4 oz organic honey syrup*
1/2 oz fresh organic lemon juice

*make honey syrup by mixing equal parts hot water and honey. stir until dissolved.

it’s that time o’ year again… everyone is irish! how about going naturally green, instead of chemically food coloring green? it’s simple…

GREEN GIN INFUSION:
place one cup shredded organic spinach and 750 ml gin in a container to sit together for at least 12 hours. the longer you leave it, and the more spinach you use, the darker the green will get. strain back into original bottle (agitating expediates the process).

the intensity of the green in this G & T was weakened by the tonic water. to serve a REALLY green drink this st. paddy’s day, make a GREEN GIMLET instead…

the popeye strong spinach plant is – you guessed it – ruled by the hardiest of planets, saturn. so spinach, my friends, is a capricorn. similar to the capricornian pansy, it is supposed to be an annual plant in these parts. however, it also will survive the cold, long northeastern winter if planted at the right time of year. spinach will be the last veggie you pick before the snow completely encases you, and the first one you pick after the “tundra” melts. spinach is there for ya baby… whada capricorn! dependable, reliable, diligent, responsible… they’re a barrel of laughs. the funny thing is though, they really are. some of the greatest comedians (howard stern, Julia Louis-Dreyfus) of our day have been capricorns. so here’s to spinach, alcohol and laughter, three of the world’s best medicines…

As they say in Ireland–Sláinte!

GREEN GIMLET:
1 1/2 oz green gin*
1 oz simple syrup*
3/4 oz fresh lime juice

GREEN G & T:
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
4 oz tonic water
3 oz green gin
twist of lime for garnish

pack collins glass with ice. add tonic water, green gin, lime juice and stir. oversized twist of lime for garnish.

* simple syrup is a mixture of 50% water/50% sugar. use raw organic sugar for best flavor and most eco points. do not heat. place in container and shake until dissolved. store in fridge.

thanks to KOCHTOPF for hosting WEEKEND HERB BLOGGING #122.

Capricorn will pass us all on the road of life. Her’s is a classic tale of tortoise and hare, she being the tortoise. Aries, for one, being the hare. Slow and steady is her mantra. One foot at a time up the steep mountain of life, until she finally reaches the top, just in time to drop dead.

what i’m saying here is don’t count this girl out the race just yet. don’t throw her away before she’s done. there’s always more to capricorn than meets the eye, for the goat-fish is arguably the most complex sign of the zodiac. sorry to steal your thunder scorpio! so she looks conservative. she acts uptight. she seems boring. you think you’ve got her figured out, when you haven’t unwrapped even one full layer yet. men beware—if you let this one in, you’re beggin’ for a beatin’. and the fact that you’re gonna like it scares the shit out of you.

so let’s talk about sex, i mean molasses, and the dregs of sugar cane that it is. discarded as a by-product, molasses is the almost black, densely thick, mildly bitter sweet syrup that comes from using every part of the plant. this fact is true to capricorn’s very nature of utilizing every tool at her disposal, no matter how seemingly insignificant! “waste not, want not” was surely coined by the goat-girl. this is why my friends, molasses is ruled by saturn and is a capricorn.

BLACK MAGIC

INGREDIENTS:
Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Fennel-Infused Vodka*
Espresso
Mollasses Syrup*

INSTRUCTIONS:
Add 2 oz fennel vodka, 2 oz espresso, 2 oz mollasses syrup, 1 oz orange juice, into ice-filled shaker. Shake and strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with oversized orange twist.

*Mollasses Syrup: Simmer one cup mollasses, one cup water until dissolved. Add splash vodka and Store in fridge.

*Vodka Fennel Infusion: Add three cups chopped fennel bulb or leaves leaves to 750 ml bottle of vodka. Allow to sit in dark place for 3 weeks. Strain into final storage container. In lieu of fresh fennel, try using dried fennel seeds. (Recipe created by Gwen Sutherland Kaiser)

Tell Starbucks to go organic
See Black Gold, the Movie
Visit CAPRICORN COFFEES
Visit Solar Roast Coffee
Love Your Sugar Goat

I stumbled upon this lip-smackin good recipe while researching blackcurrants yesturday and bookmarked it for future use. Ironically, my mom brought over a pint of fresh blackberries, or brambles as she calls them, that she had picked earlier that day. Yes, BLOG LOVE query solved!!! We yankees refer to them as blackberries, but they’re the same oversized, tart fruit that the Brits call bramble. Totally delic in an apple and bramble pie, I might add too. And as with the blackcurrant, it must be said that Culpeper lists this fruit under Venus. But I am giving it dominion under Saturn, due again to it’s grimacing flavour and darker-than-a-moonless-night color. So forward march up Capricorn’s steep, dark and barren hill. Onto the BLOG LOVE cocktail at hand, the Blackberry Noir. Thanks much, WORLD ON A PLATE, for bringing us a lil’ piece o’ blackberry bliss.

BLACKBERRY NOIR

Yield: 2 + martinis.

*1 tsp simple sugar
*1/2 cup blackberries
*2 lemon wedges
*1/2 cup vodka (or gin) (adjust to your liking!)
*1 tablespoon Cointreau (or o.j.)
*1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.

In a small food processor, puree the berries and lemon juice.

Prepare two martini glasses: rub the rims with lemons, then pour a layer of superfine sugar on a plate and twirl the glasses in it. Place them in the freezer.

Fill a martini shaker with ice, then add the vodka (or gin), Cointreau. Add 1 tablespoons of the culled simple syrup and a bit of the berry puree–a little goes a long way. There will be more for later. Shake well for about 10 seconds and strain into the glasses. Serve.

NOTE:
Turns out, I’m a cocktal wuss. Who knew?! And… I replaced (and increased) the simple syrup with maple syrup. Also, changed the garnish. Find my twist on the Blackberry Noir below:

GWEN’S BLACKBERRY NOIR :

* 1/2 c gin
* 6 tbs blackberry puree
* 4 tbs maple syrup
* 1 tbs Cointreau
* garnish with repurposed plastic cocktail sword loaded with berries.

*** Shake it baby, for like a minute. That was a mad strong drink that needed calming down. Shake it for a minute and let it sit for a minute.

THANKS TO THE COCKTAIL CHRONICLES FOR HOSTING THIS MONTH’S MIXOLOGY MONDAY!

Capricorn is the sign of restriction, constraint, saving, and generally squeezing the most out of anything they get their hooves on. That includes the $20 specialty cocktail they splurged on in that fashionable bar. They’ll make sure they enjoy every last drop of it, and even wait patiently for the ice to melt, and then savor the diluted cocktail water too. Yup, they’ll nurse that baby for two hours before they spring for another one! What better symbolizes restraint than handcuffs? You can bet all those Cappies out there have used a pair of them at least once. And I’m not talking about getting arrested either… The sour, harsh, unpleasant taste of a raw quince belongs to the cranky old lady of the zodiac–Capricorn! However, when the yellowish colored, ripe fruit is boiled down to a jelly, it’s aroma becomes quite intoxicating with a deliciously tangy flavor. The jelly eaten alone is said to soothe a sore throat. And if you can stand it, drinking freshly extracted quince juice is believed to ease nausea. Of course the best way to enjoy this pear-shaped, apple-like fruit, is in a cocktail!

QUINCE WINCE

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 oz Vodka
- 1/3 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 2 oz quince jam or jelly

DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice for ten seconds. Strain into a chilled (preferably) martini glass.

* Simple syrup is a mixture of 50% water and 50% sugar. just place the sugar and water in a leak-proof container and shake away, every twenty minutes or so, until the sugar is dissolved. No need for sticky saucepots and hot stoves here!

(Recipe created by Gwen Sutherland Kaiser)

ALSO TRY: Poached Quinces