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From The Earth To The Bar - Part 1 in A 9-Part Series
From The Earth To The Bar - Part 1 in A 9-Part Series
9 Part Series
Several natural herbs are used in the creation of certain liquid spirits today.
Depending on the direction of specific use or purpose will determine what herbs
are selected for the Master Distiller’s desired result. Infusing is the process of
steeping or soaking without boiling, to instill individual selections of various fresh
or dried fruits, berries, seeds, peppers, grasses, mint, spices, herbs, plants,
vegetables, hops, and roots into specifically chosen base spirits for accenting flavor.
Digestifs are liquors produced usually with an alcohol base, consumed after a meal
to stimulate digestion. Bitter Orange, Chicory, Kola Nut, and Star Grass fall into this
category. Campari, Fernet Branca, and Grappa are known as Digestif liquors.
Then you have Aphrodisiacs, Elixers, Herbals, and Tonics to continue with.
Origins and Medicinal backgrounds of the Plants, Shrubs, and Trees of our planet,
and the herbal extractions that lead to the concoctions and decoctions in various
liquors, liqueurs, cocktails, and tonics for culinary use – today and yesterday.
Root > Bark > Sap > Leaf > Seed > Flower > Fruit > Oil
The following entries have been selected for their various uses and applications,
as well as the most medicinally beneficial. Some are more kitchen-based than bar.
Agave
Agave americana ( Agavaceae ) – Century Plant
Native to tropical Asia, it is now grown throughout the tropics and subtropics.
Orchards of bitter orange are also found along the Mediterranean coast,
especially Spain.
Evergreen tree growing to 30 ft, with leathery dark green leaves, perfumed white
flowers, and orange fruit.
With a wide range of medicinal uses, it has provided food and medicine for
thousands of years. Oil from its flowers, leaves, and young shoots are used
extensively in perfumery. Orange flower water is also a byproduct of distillation.
Lime and lemon have similar nutritional properties.
Actions – The fruit stimulates digestion, as the juice helps the body eliminate
waste products. Yet, if taken in excess, its acid content can exacerbate arthritis.
In western medicine, the essential oils are used to reduce heart rate and
palpitations, encourage sleep, and to soothe the digestive tract.
Cacao
Theobroma cacao ( Sterculiaceae )
Part used – Seeds, where the pulp contains many constituents that reflect its
flavor, and very small amounts of endorphins.
Native to Mexico and Central America, it is now also a major crop throughout the
tropics, as the seed pods are collected twice yearly. The word chocolate was given
to this tree by the Aztecs.
An evergreen tree growing to 25 ft, with pale brown bark, glossy oval leaves,
small yellow flower clusters, and large red-yellow seed pods close to the size
of a small to medium pineapple.
Most often used as the many food benefits it has, cacao’s medicinal actions
include it being of therapeutic value as a stimulant to the nervous system.
The seeds are taken as a heart and kidney tonic, and the plant may be
used to treat angina, and used as a diuretic.
Damiana
Turnera diffusa syn. T. diffusa var. aphrodisiaca ( Turneraceae)
Native to the Gulf of Mexico, Southern California, the northern Caribbean Islands,
and Namibia. Growing best in hot climates, the leaves are harvested in summer,
when the herb is in flower..
Preparations – include tablets and tincture (for a relaxing nerve tonic and anti-
depressant), and as an infusion for general tonic, and useful for urinary infections.
Elder
Sambucus nigra ( Caprifoliaceae )
Part used – Flowering tops (fresh and dried), berries (fresh and dried).
Preparations – Infusion of flower tops for colds, cough, and flu, as it tones the
mucous linings of the nose and throat, resisting infection. Also helps with chronic
congestion, allergies, ear infection, and arthritic conditions. Tincture– for hay fever.
Fig
Ficus carica ( Moraceae )
Native to western Asia, fig grows wild and often cultivated in temperate
and subtropical regions.
Deciduous tree growing to 12 ft, with large leaves and fleshy receptacles
that ripen into purple-brown pear-shaped fruit.
Many references to the plant in the Old Testament, due to the fruit’s sweetness
and its use as a medicine. Spartan athletes in ancient Greece were said to eat
figs to improve their performance.
Actions – When the fruit sugars of the fig are dried, they have a gentle
laxative effect. Fig syrup is a remedy for mild constipation, and the emollient pulp
relieves pain and inflammation. Figs are also a mild expectorant. The latex from the
leaves is known to be analgesic, used to treat insect bites, stings, and warts.
Yet, the latex is toxic, and should not be used internally.
Ginger
Zingiber officinale ( Zingiberaceae ) – Sheng Jian (Chinese)
Native to Asia, it is also grown throughout the tropics. Grows well in fertile soil, and
needs plenty of rain. The rhizome is unearthed when the plant is 10 months old.
Known as one of the world’s best medicines, as it brings relief to digestions troubled
by motion sickness, morning sickness, and is an important circulatory remedy.
Fresh ginger is given for fever, headaches, and aching muscles.
Hops have been cultivated for brewing beer since at least the 11th century,
and are directly related to Marijuana (cannabis sativa), but does not contain
the active key constituent THC (delta 9 – tetrahydrocannabinol).
Definitions
Axil Upper angle formed by leaf stem and supporting stem or branch
Ayurveda Traditional Indian system of medicine