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.

another ode to capricorn…. for both the lime and the espresso are saturnine… double whammy… make that a double for our goat-like girl friend. she certainly likes to drink, what with that sexy mermaid tail and all. she likes to do other things too: boss people around (no, you mix it like this…), make money and save money (sale on absolut, now she can splurge and buy the full size bottle) and have sex (yup, horny capricorny is her undercover mo). what’s not to like? capricorns rule… ruled by saturn, as are those lovely little limes. capricorn will show you how to make the perfect caipirinha. and if you haven’t gotten around to tasting the new “it” drink, i suggest getting around to it soon. adiós mr. mojito. granted, the caipirinha is more of a summer drink, with it’s crushed ice and all - but hey, cappie girl gets hot than hot in the winter too, ya know. add a shot of espresso and she’s good to go for another few hours…. this drink is genius, just like capricorn thinks she is too.

DARK ENERGY

1/2 lime (cut into chunks)
1 oz extra fine sugar (if you don’t have this, granulated sugar will suffice)
1 1/2 oz cachaca
1 oz organic espresso (chilled)

combine lime and sugar into wide-bottomed glass and muddle until sugar is paste-like. fill glass with ice and add cachaca and espresso to mixture. stir and serve. (cocktail by gwen)

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. But even the hardy goat-fish gets tired, and this is when coffee becomes a magic bean. Late at night, or early in the morning - depending on how much fun she’s having, caffeine becomes one with a shot of vodka. All though it’s ripe scarlet hue belongs to the red planet of Mars, we know coffee, not as beans on a bush, but in our morning cup of joe. or evening cocktail of jane. point is, the coffee bean is no longer red when it reaches our thirsty mouth, but a blackish brown. and it is the cold, dry planet of Saturn who claims that color as her own. meet your maker capricorn. imbibe a bit of black magic.

BLACK MAGIC

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

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

*Simple Syrup: Place two cups water and one cup sugar in airtight container and shake vigorously. Shake every twenty minutes until sugar is dissolved. 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!

The evergreen tree is ruled by the hardy and enduring planet of Saturn, which rules with iron fist over Capricorn (and co-rules just as tightly over Aquarius.) As the evergreen maintains it's constant vigil of vibrancy in the deadest of winter, so does Capricorn withhold her steady march to success. And as with the chilly goat, one would never guess there's a tantalizing flavour hidden beneath the evergreen's rigid exterior. But for a few weeks in spring, when the tree breaks dormancy and breathes new life into it's tired limbs, these surprisingly soft bristles of new growth taste and smell delicious. Laden with vitamin C, they are healthy as well... remember that next time you're stranded in the woods in early springtime! I can't tell you for certain which evergreen trees are edible and which are poisonous. I ASSUME that the new growth of all evergreen tree tips are edible, but have only tried the tips of the Douglas Fir Variety. So be warned and sample at your own peril! I do caution however, staying away from the evergreen variety known as Hemlock (alleged doer-in of Socrates). As this is a feathery and graceful looking branch it should not be easily confused with the very erect branches of the former mentioned. There are two companies using fir tips as a flavouring: DOUGLAS FIR SPRING TIP TEA and UN SAPIN (PINE LIQUOR.)

HUNTING & GATHERING:
Collect the new growth by only taking half of the “baby” branch so as to not stunt the growth of the tree.

FIR TIPTINI:
1/4 c fir tips
3 tbs raw, organic sugar
2 oz vodka
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

Muddle fir tips with sugar, lemon, until macerated. Add vodka and shake in ice filled shaker. Strain into chilled glass. Garnish with a fir tip. Or serve on rocks topped with seltzer. (Muddled mixture shown below)

ALSO QUITE TASTY IS THE FIR TIP SYRUP:
1 1/2 c fir tips
1 1/2 raw, organic sugar

Puree in food processor on high until tips are broken down. Add to sauce pot with 3/4 c water and bring to boil. Allow to simmer for twenty minutes. Add 1 oz vodka as preservative and strain into final storage container. (Recipe created by Gwen Sutherland Kaiser).

A Douglas Fir Tip-infused gin comes out delic… What a unique holiday gift that would be for a lucky someone! Thanks to Karen for the generous use of her handsome trees!

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