as promised, i’m putting all the recipes from our holiday event (intoxicated zodiac, susan miller & todd english) online. so now all you zodiac junkies can drink your very own sign for some extra christmas cheer this year!

The work of Nicholas Culpeper, the father of western herbalism, serves as a guide when i create astrology-themed drinks. Culpeper’s books are still in print, 300 years after he wrote detailed descriptions of which plants belong to which signs and how to use them medicinally. In Medieval Herbal Astrology, plants have Zodiac signs, just like people. In the Medieval times only seven planets had been discovered as opposed to nine today. Therefore, since these drinks are based on Medieval Herbal Astrology, the ancient ruling planet for each sign is referenced.

“under the stars” is a NOISE 784 production. sponsored by TYKU, perrier and jim beam, the recipes call for these fine products. cheers!

Aries’ Cocktail features CRANBERRY as its star ingredient! Aries is ruled by Mars: The scarlet, fiery, hot planet. Flavors that are very spicy or very tart are often ruled by Mars. The cranberry’s bright crimson color, underscored by its tangy flavor certainly betrays its allegiance to the red planet, and is hence an Aries.

ARIES XMAS TIPPLE:
2 oz sochu, 2 oz cranberry syrup, 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice, perrier
(shake over ice and strain pour into an ice packed collins glass. Top with Perrier. Garnish with a floating fresh cranberry)

CRANBERRY SPICE SYRUP:
2 c white sugar, 3 c water, 1 c fresh cranberries, peel of half a small orange
(simmer for 20-30 minutes and strain)

Taurus’ Cocktail features PEPPERMINT as its star ingredient! If its divinely fragrant and tantalizingly tasty, you can bet its ruled by Venus. This beautiful planet rules all fruit, herbs and flowers that are particularly fragrant. Hence, mint falls under the dominion of Venus and may be identified as a Taurus.

TAURUS XMAS TIPPLE:
2 oz sochu, 1 oz peppermint syrup, 1 oz lemon juice
(served up with a mini candy cane garnish)

PEPPERMINT MINT SYRUP:
3 c white sugar, 2 c water, 1 tsp peppermint extract
(heat until dissolved)

Gemini’s Cocktail features HAZELNUT as its star ingredient! Culpeper lists the hazelnut under Mercury. The tree’s delicate leaves & flowers are indicative of this planet’s fleeting & wispy qualities. After all, Mercury is the fastest orbiting planet in our solar system. hazelnut is a Gemini.

GEMINI XMAS TIPPLE:
2 oz sochu, 1 oz hazelnut cocoa syrup, 1 oz creamer
(served up with a few pcs of floating chopped hazelnut garnish)

HAZELNUT COCOA SYRUP:
1 c “NUTELLA” spread,2 c water
(heat lightly and whisk until blended)

Cancer’s Cocktail features EGG as its star ingredient! The egg is ruled by the Moon, as is Cancer. They share the traits of a hard outer shell and a soft, pale, fleshy inside. Cancer is known for its innate creativity, along with a desire to “nest.” What symbolizes those two qualities more than the egg?

CANCER XMAS TIPPLE:
2 oz whiskey, 1 oz ‘nog anise syrup, 1 oz creamer
(served up with a floating star anise)

‘NOG ANISE SYRUP:
1 c brown sugar, 1 ½ c water, 2 cinnamon sticks, 5 star anise, 4 tsp chopped, fresh ginger, 3 tsp vanilla extract, 10 cardamom pods
(toast spices over medium low in pan first. then simmer for 20-30 minutes and strain)

Leo’s Cocktail features CLEMENTINE as its star ingredient! The bright, round, orange-colored, life-giving star of our solar system, the Sun, rules over Leo. Because the clementine bears a heavy physical resemblance to the sun, it is given ruler ship under it. The clementine is a Leo.

LEO XMAS TIPPLE:
2 oz sochu, 1 oz clementine rosemary syrup, 1 1/2 oz lemon juice
(served over ice topped with Perrier. Garnish with a slice of clementine)

CLEMENTINE ROSEMARY SYRUP:
2 chopped clementines, ¼ c chopped fresh rosemary, 2 c white sugar, 2 c water
(simmer for 20-30 minutes and strain)

Virgo’s Cocktail features POMEGRANATE as its star ingredient! The pomegranate is ruled by Mercury due to its astringent qualities. Mercury is the fleet-footed planet and therefore holds ownership over anything that is fast-binding and drying in nature. That is why the pomegranate is a Virgo.

VIRGO XMAS TIPPLE:
1 oz sochu, 1 oz tyku liqueur, 1 1/2 oz pomegranate grenadine, 1/2 oz lemon juice
(serve up and garnish with 3 floating pomegranate seeds)

POMEGRANATE GRENADINE:
Equal parts 100% pomegranate juice and water
(simmer for 20-30 minutes)

Libra’s Cocktail features SUGAR PLUM as its star ingredient! Libra is ruled by the Venus, the beautiful planet. Venus holds dominion over things that are sugary sweet, succulent, attractive and delectable in nature. A perfectly ripe, juicy plum would certainly fall under ruler ship of Venus, and may be called a Libra.

LIBRA XMAS TIPPLE:
1 oz sochu, 1 oz tyku liqueur, 1 oz plum syrup, 1 oz lemon juice
(serve up and garnish with a sugar rim)

SUGAR PLUM SYRUP:
2 c white sugar, 3 c water, 2-3 chopped fresh plums
(simmer for 20-30 minutes and strain)

Scorpio’s Cocktail features CLOVE as its star ingredient! The incredibly pungent and powerful clove is ruled by none other than what many refer to as the planet of war, Mars. Really, it is the planet of passion and the strength to defend and protect. In fact, clove is so strong it can be used to defeat Cancer. Today, Scorpio is considered co-ruled by Mars and Pluto.

SCORPIO XMAS TIPPLE:
1 oz sochu, 1 oz sake, 1 oz lemon juice, 1 oz clove chili syrup, perrier
(served over ice, topped with perrier, garnished with a floating clove and straw)

CLOVE CHILI SYRUP:
1 c white sugar, 3 c water, 2-3 pinches cloves, 1 small handful or approx 20 dried chili arbols
(toast chilis and clove over medium low in pan first. simmer for 15-20 minutes and strain)

Sagittarius’ Cocktail features FIG as its star ingredient The vast number of seeds in a fig makes it a fruit ruled by Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. This huge planet is the owner of all things Ubiquitous, prolific, abundant and colossal in nature. This is why the fig is listed as a Sagittarius.

SAGITTARIUS XMAS TIPPLE:
2 oz whiskey, 1 ¼ oz fig syrup, ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
(shake over ice and strain into glass. Garnish with a dried fig slice)

FIG SYRUP:
1 c fresh chopped figs, 1 c white sugar, 2 c water
(simmer for 20-30 minutes and strain)

Capricorn’s Cocktail features MOLASSES as its star ingredient! Discarded as a by-product, molasses is the almost black, densely thick, mildly bittersweet syrup that is born from the dregs of the sugar cane plant. Saturn symbolizes frugality, austerity and scarcity. Molasses is ruled by Saturn due to the nature of its genesis.

CAPRICORN XMAS TIPPLE:
2 oz whiskey, 1 oz gingerbread syrup, 1 oz creamer
(served up with a slice of candied ginger garnish)

GINGERBREAD SYRUP: 2 c brown sugar, 2 c water, 1 c molasses, 5 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
(simmer for 20-30 minutes and strain)

Aquarius’ Cocktail features CEDAR as its star ingredient! Saturn is the slowest moving planet, symbolizing longevity and resilience. Plants ruled by this constant planet are extremely hardy in nature–take for example the famously pest and weather-resistant cedar tree. Today Aquarius is considered co-ruled by Saturn and Uranus. That’s why cedar is an Aquarius.

AQUARIUS XMAS TIPPLE:
1 oz sochu, 1 oz sake, 3/4 oz lemon juice, 1 oz cedar syrup
(served up with a sugar rim)

CEDAR TIP SYRUP:
2 c white sugar, 2 c water, 1 c dried cedar tip needles
(toast cedar over medium low in pan first. simmer for 20-30 minutes and strain)

Pisces’ Cocktail features CHESTNUT as its star ingredient! The chestnut tree’s diameter can be as great as 17 feet, which epitomizes the grandiose qualities of the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter. Today, Pisces is considered co-ruled by Jupiter and the more recently discovered Neptune. The chestnut is a Pisces and sheer size alone is what determines that.

PISCES XMAS TIPPLE:
2 oz whiskey, 1 oz chestnut syrup, 1 oz creamer
(served up a chestnut slice garnish)

CHESTNUT SYRUP:
2 c white sugar, 2 c water, 1 c chopped and peeled roasted chestnuts
(simmer for 20-30 minutes and strain)

ROAST CHESTNUT GARNISH:
Slice each nut prior to baking with a knife, but try not to penetrate flesh. Then it will be easier to slice them for garniature.

i grew some stevia in my garden this year and low and behold, the raw leaves really do taste like sugar. it’s crazy! i made a cocktail, of course, muddling the leaves. it actually wasn’t sweet enough, so i had to add some granulated stevia into the shaker before the drink became palpable. as with all herbs, when the leaves are dried the intensity of the flavor is magnified. stevia is available in almost any grocery store at this time. i dug my stevia up and brought him inside of the winter. he’s so cool… i can’t bear to see him die off in the next heavy frost. but, in this icy part of the world, stevia is considered an annual. if you prefer to shop for stevia rather than grow it… no prob! only a few months ago it was hard to find. we are loving stevia. health food stores will have more options besides the powder form… stevia pills, stevia serum… it’s all good–i’ve tasted every shape and form. whatever you do, don’t fall for the latest trick which is to rename the bad, lab-made sugars with cute, natural names like “IDEAL”—and color the package green with a leaf or something along those lines. always read the labels because there should be one ingredient listed and that is STEVIA (all though, on some brands dextrose is also listed as an ingredient).

STEVIA SOUR:
1 1/2 oz choice of spirit (i love gin)
3 sprigs fresh stevia
3/4 oz lemon juice
stevia powder or serum
***muddle and adjust with stevia powder to taste. shake over ice and enjoy that way too. garnish with a sprig of stevia.

FLEURTINI
2 oz elder flower liqueur
2 oz coconut milk
.5 oz rose water

Shake over ice, strain into glass. Garnish with edible flower.

should you take a young lover, i’d advise pairing (and plying) him or her with satin sheets, chocolate, alcohol, feathers, rope—and a full day in which to enjoy them all. should you take a lover beyond your years, relish and remember the priceless lessons bestowed upon you. in such an age-disparate affair, i can’t help but wonder which lover would be more fortunate to have found the other: the older and more experienced lover… or the young, eager lover? perhaps each partner’s luck would be equal…

all though coconut falls under the thumb of cancer, chocolate and cherry are ruled by none other than the goddess of love: venus. bottoms up and bottoms off… cheers to those libra lovers everywhere—good lovers do they make.

ps, how cool is this glass? i found it at a yard sale last week along with some concrete skulls and an old glass dome.

YOUNG LOVER:
2 1/2 oz kijafa (danish chocolate cherry flavored wine)
2 oz coconut milk (surprisingly, this tastes nothing like coconut)
1 oz chocolate syrup***

shake over ice and strain into chilled glass. garnish with a fresh cherry.

***do not use hersheys. use organic syrup or you will be ingesting GMO corn syrup, which causes sterility-inducing tumors. tough choice huh… tumors or organic.

LUJURIA
one bottle dark beer
double shot godiva chocolate liqueur

BELLY FLASH:

1 oz irish whiskey
1 oz flavoured water
ice

mr. libra III drinks his poison with tap water, but i recommend adding fruit-infused H2O to make the BELLY FLASH that much more palatable. girls beware: both of libra III’s and this ain’t no girly drink, take heed!

1 oz fresh lemon juice
2 dashes rose water (health food/gourmet)
2 dozen red raspberries
3 leaves basil
2 oz simple syrup
1 1/2 vodka

i’m always amazed at how someone can derive pleasure from imbibing a manhattan. in my eyes that is akin to sipping gasoline. i wish i could be that cool under fire to nonchalently order a manhattan… the fire i speak of is the one running all the way down your chest after you take a sip. i’m not cool! in an attempt to make this high octane classic more palitable, i used cherry-infused whiskey, compliments of sweet venus’ delectable cherry. sugary venus also rules the easy-going sign that is symbolized by a scale… dear libra, take it easy with this deadly drink!

(as this is a variation on the true MANHATTAN, this is called the MANHATTANITE.)

MANHATTANITE

2 oz cherry whisky (PHILIPS UNION CHERRY WHISKEY) or infuse your own*
1 oz sweet vermouth
few drops orange bitters
cherry or two (never use store bought maraschino, those are unhealthy!!! make your own, or use sour cherries like moi)

add all ingredients to shaker with ice. stir, do not shake! strain into martini glass.

* cut 30 sweet cheeries in half and place in 750 ml bottle whiskey for a few weeks. store in cool, dark place. agitate to expediate process. strain out cherries to store.

i’ve recently been chastised by my libran friend for harping on the scale’s cliche indecisiveness. in my defense, i pointed to the fact that my dialogue concerns strictly sun signs, and that is a very general topic! so libras everywhere, hear this: if i offended you with my triteness, please accept my apologies. my friend went on to explain that he always orders the same drink every single time he steps foot in a pub. there is apparently not an ounce of hesitation behind any of his beverage decisions. i was really taken to task here! so i say to dave, and any libras like him, you must have an earth rising sign (like say capricorn, virgo, or taurus) to be so fixed in your bar menu…

dear zodiacal intoxicants, remember, you’re sun sign is a generalization of the real you. most of it’s correct, but sometimes it’s not. and that’s due to other planets in your chart that are influencing your personality. get a free birth chart here, or get one professionally done here.

CUBALAND (PEAR MOJITO)

- 1 1/2 parts white rum
- 1 part fresh squeezed lime juice
- 2 parts freshly extracted pear nectar
- 1 part simple syrup
- 4 sprigs mint
- seltzer

Add rum, simple syrup, lime juice, pear nectar and 3 sprigs mint to shaker and muddle until desired mint flavor is achieved. Strain into footed glass filled with ice. Top with seltzer. Garnish with sprig of mint and slice of pear. (recipe by Gwen)