i was so honored to be a presenter at this year’s MANHATTAN COCKTAIL FESTIVAL in nyc. ZODIAC VODKA, my soul mate, sponsored the presentation and supplied the kick ass black cherry vodka that i used to create our welcome drink: the VENUS TRANSIT.

the staff told me later that it was an unusually well-received cocktail… everyone drank their entire glass down! so, thank you for the compliment on my mixology skills, dear festival imbibers : ) apparently, the name was quite well liked too… this one’s definitely a keeper! (and so is the ZODIAC VODKA bottle: each one is a different sign)

proud of my presenter badge ; ) first time i’ve done a powerpoint presentation… see my remote control?

backstage, they’re batching our welcome drink… the VENUS TRANSIT. ps, ZODIAC VODKA is available in NY this july!!! check the website for availability outside of new york.
(slide from presentation below)

each guest got a ZODIAC VODKA goodie bag with a mini compatibility book, a coaster and a glass in the sign of their choice!

THE MCC INDUSTRY INVITATIONAL was held at the andaz hotel on FIFTH AVE & 42ND ST. isn’t that the crossroads of the world?

ps, next year’s MCC is scheduled for May 17-21, 2013. if we’re still here, that is ; )

a special shout out to CAMPER ENGLISH from ALCADEMICS… finally i got to meet my fellow veggie cocktail nerd writer extraordinaire… and yup, he’s as cool as he writes. and i’m happy to report that he asks the most interesting questions! thanks for coming to my seminar, Dear Aries

next shout out goes to lak from PARTY DIGEST… helped make the baroscope reading part of my presentation more hilarious than ever… thanks for swinging by, Dear Libra

and last but not least, shout out to JACKIE SILVER, aka MS. AGING BACKWARDS… a drink a day keeps the doctor away! hee haw.. (we love donkeys) Jackie is a Dear Gemini. (we also love that HIGH WEST & URBAN BOULDER photobooth!)

from the presentation:
“VENUS TRANSIT is a term that describes the movement of Venus, who is more than just a pretty face. She’s an amazon woman! She’s a feminist. And she’s a Goddess. Venus will transit the Sun on June 5th, which will be her last transit to occur in our lifetime, as she only passes over the Sun roughly every 122 years. I can tell you that the Astrologers are abuzz over this heavy duty alignment and the impact it will have on humanity. Her sojourn into our atmosphere will shine her Venusian frequency of peace, beauty and love on us all, to facilitate in our healing process. Synchronistically sandwiched in between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse, love is coming to earth in a big way, and is here to stay!

Black Cherry is a plant of Venus and therefore a drink of Taurus and Libra, who are both also ruled by Venus. According to Medieval Astrology, Venusian plants are warm and moist, and their temperment is sanguine. Taurus rules the neck and decolette, and libra rules the buttocks. Any sign can imbibe a VENUS TRANSIT… it’s a tasty opportunity to drink in her divine energy and see the world through her rose colored glasses. Cheers to Venus!

VENUS TRANSIT:
fill glass with ice and add:
* 2 oz Black Cherry Zodiac Vodka
* 1 oz fresh lemon juice
* 1 oz spice syrup*
stir.
garnish with a cherry.*

SPICE SYRUP:
4 opened cardomom pods (both shells and seeds)
2 sticks cinnamon
2 whole cloves
***toast spices to bring flavors out, then add to ½ cup water, ½ cup sugar. Simmer for 20 minutes and strain for use.

BRANDIED CHERRIES:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
2 cloves
2 sticks cinnamon
4 opened cardamom pods (skin & seeds)
approximately 1 quart pitted cherries (frozen are ok)
½ brandy

***toast spices to bring flavors out, then to water and sugar. Simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat. add brandy and cherries. May be used immediately. Store in fridge.

(the use of kangen filtered water will further amplify the flavors)”
–recipe created by gwen sutherland kaiser

If you read my post, “INTRO TO ASTROLOGY”, you’ll remember that HERBAL ASTROLOGY is part of a larger category, MEDICAL ASTROLOGY. Medical astrology is a highly complex subject, whose incredible breadth and depth is so great, I could not do it justice by attempting to discuss it at length on this site. It is quite simply, healing the body with the aid of the zodiac. If you have been unable to cure an afflictment with modern medicine, I suggest contacting a medical astrologer, who might just cure your tricky ailment!

EACH BODY PART IS UNDER THE RULERSHIP OF A SPECIFIC SIGN:
Aries = Head area ruled by Mars
Taurus = Neck & Throat area ruled by Venus
Gemini = Respiratory system, Arms ruled by Mercury
Cancer = Stomach, Breasts ruled by the Moon
Leo = Cardiac system & Vertebrae behind heart ruled by the Sun
Virgo = Bowels, Abdomen ruled by Mercury
Libra = Kidneys & surrounding area ruled by Venus
Scorpio = Bladder & Genetalia ruled by Mars & Pluto
Sagittarius = Musculature & Pelvis area ruled by Jupiter
Capricorn = Bones & Skin ruled by Saturn
Aquarius = Ankle area & Circulatory system ruled by Mercury & Uranus
Pisces = Feet area & Lymphatic system ruled by Neptune
LIKEWISE, BODILY ILLNESSES ALSO HAVE A RULING PLANET & SIGN.

It was believed in Roman & Medieval times that everyone and everything was divided into four temperaments:
1. CHOLERIC = hot & dry = Mars, Sun
2. SANGUINE = hot & moist = Venus
3. PHLEGMATIC = cold & moist = Moon
4. MELANCHOLIC = cold & dry = Saturn
(Uranus, Neptune & Pluto are not listed because they were discovered after these ancient principles were established.)

These terms were so impactful that each one is still in the English language today, as of course, are the twelve signs of the zodiac. At Medieval banquets, it was auspicious to serve a mixture of dishes that contained these four temperaments. This is so that the meal, and the guest’s constitution, was balanced.

When the milkmaid had a tummy ache a few hundred years back, she would treat it with astrology (no Tums back then)! The stomach has been determined to by ruled by the sign of Cancer. Cancer is a cold, wet, phlegmatic sign. The ancients knew that our world is a balance of positive & negative, good & evil, yin & yang, ya da ya da ya… This would make the opposite of cold and wet, be hot and dry. Therefore, to cure this lassie’s pain, something of the latter quality would be prescribed. This method is referred to as “antipathy” or “sympathy”. Symptoms were treated either with a like-minded herb, or a completely opposite natured herb. Admittedly, the milkmaid’s astrological chart might have been consulted to aid in the determination of treatment. But I have a feeling that antipathy was more commonly used than sympathy in ancient astro-medicine.

This is where HERBAL ASTROLOGY comes in. The plant, chamomile, is ruled by the sun. This is believed due to the flower’s appearance: a bright yellow center with rays of light petals around its circumference. Now… Chamomile is ruled by the sun – but it might be grown in an entirely different sign! For each environment is governed by it’s own planet as well. If the chamomile was picked from a field, that would lend a Libran influence to it (as fields are ruled by Venus). This would temper the hot dryness of the chamomile with some warming Venusian moisture. If it were collected from a mountaintop, the chamomile would have an Geminian influence to it. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, which is regarded as cold and dry. The hot dryness of the chamomile would then be tempered with the cooling properties of Mercury. I know I’m getting a bit detailed here, but I just want to convey what exactly went into a traditional astro-medical diagnosis. For our intent and purpose, we will be looking strictly at the qualities of the actual plant and not the environment in which it grew. Obviously the sun is dry and hot (and will stay that way for some time, god willing). Hence this herb would be taken to counteract the milkmaid’s tummy ache, as the stomach is cold and wet. To this day it is common knowledge that a cup of chamomile tea settles the stomach.

Enter Nicholas Culpeper, father of Western Herbalism, circa 1600. So popular were this medical prophet’s teachings, that his books are unbelievably still in print today! All though, sadly some of his original text has been altered during the editing process without any indication to the reader that they are not actually reading Culpeper’s words. But I digress. In fact, Culpeper’s book was the second manuscript to be published in America–after the bible. This renowned astrological physician of the 17th century led a short, chaotic and heroic life; 1616 – 1654. He was born in Britain, a Scorpio with Capricorn rising (a serious, focused, dramatic, intense sign coupling to have).

Against his religious father’s wishes for him to join the ministry, Culpeper studied medicine at Cambridge University. Well, it wasn’t soon after that this passionate fellow decided to elope with his fiancé. Unbelievably, she was struck dead by lightning en route to their secret meeting place! The devastated student was so wrought with grief that he dropped out of the esteemed school he was so privileged to attend. Disinherited, he chose to start anew and ended up apprenticing with several apothecaries. Little did he know that the stage was being set to lead a revolutionary crusade against the oppressive “medical monarchy” on behalf of England’s common and ravaged people. Culpeper did find love again, and formed a stormy marriage that would bear 8 children, only one of whom would survive. The latter part of his life was spent feverishly translating Laten medical text into English so that “the people” may understand, and publishing inexpensive and educational medical books so that they may also “heal thyself” with countryside herbs. When he did succumb, it was to an old war wound exacerbated by tobacco of all things! You know what they say about the cobbler’s kids having no shoes…