The title. I know, the title. Was there ever a time when “booze” was not just a tad pejorative? It is a noun here but started as a verb meaning, even by 1300AD, to “drink heavily.” There was an early Philadelphia distiller named E.G. Booz who contributed to this shady view of the word. By the barrel. The name continues is a line of whiskeys today.
Still, “booze” has a smooth sound to itself. That double “o” just as in smooth trails long in the mouth and surely connotes that something special awaits us.
In England, the River Cottage is a famed restaurant, cooking school, and culinary centerpiece. It's really more a mini-industry. The restaurant and recipes, and subsequent cookbooks, are famous and properly rewarded with acclaim. The staff at River Cottage is a collection of expertise and intelligence. John Wright is the wild food expert at River Cottage and this is his fourth exploration at how English wild foods can be appropriately tamed for your table and for your bottles.
The River Cottage Booze Handbook is devoted to four topics for home concoction of beverages:
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Infusions
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Wine
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Cider
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Beer
According to British law, you cannot make heady spirits at home. No home brewing of whiskey, rum or gin. I am sure that the citizens of, say, Scotland abide by the law. To avoid any legal entanglements, in this handbook you will not find a recipe for Scottish whiskey or London gin.
That barely limits, however, what the imagination can derive. The chapter on Infusions takes this challenge on directly. You may not make the core spirits, like rum, from scratch, but you certainly can take an existing bottle of something and raise its taste to a far higher level. Infusion is a technique as old as mankind. Infusing of spirits enables you to craft delights, either delicate or potent, that can be enjoyed on their own or incorporated into classic or new cocktail recipes. In this chapter you’ll encounter recipes like:
Damson Plum Vodka
Blackberry Whiskey
Pomegranate Rum
Chestnut Liqueur
Dandelion Brandy
Homemade Absinthe
Oak Moss Gin
For these and the other recipes using fresh fruits or herbs, John includes side notes and a calendar letting you the best months — based on the British growing season — to gather the ingredients. If you live in Alabama, lucky you get about a two month head start.
The Wine chapter does not dwell on grape varietals. This is a British book and the British terroir is, well, not terribly grape friendly. What you will find here are ideas for fruit wines that you cannot buy at your American liquor store but that you easily make following John’s simple, direct explanations:
Rhubarb, Elderberry. Rose Hip Wines are here, modestly eccentric
Strawberry, Melon Fizz, and Crab Apple from you garden
Dandelion and Gorse from your fields
Remember, John is an expert in foraging for wild foods. These flavors may, I know, be a little different but they have the stamp of River Cottage. So, if you see some dandelions …
Besides learning how to store apples for months on end, mankind long ago learned how to use them even sooner, converted fruit into cider. Centuries of enjoyment and experience make English cider making world class, whether you are seeking a dry sparkling treat, dry still or even sweet still cider. The Cider chapter has generic recipes for these cider types plus options for extending the flavor by adding in other fruits or flower.
No British book on home brewing would be complete without an extensive chapter on Beer. The Booze Handbook complies with that unwritten law. There are 30 pages here on the background, techniques and equipment to employ. Then come a bevy of beer recipes with certainly one that will solicit your curiosity:
Special Bitter made with two malts and two hops
A Strong East India Pale Ale
Black Pearl Porter
Classic Stout
Oak Malt Stout
Heather and Honey Ale
Dandelion and Burdick Beer
Nettle Beer
Even if you are not going to make beer at home, these suggestions may entice you to attend home brewing festival where home enthusiasts are displaying their passions and their flavors. You may well encounter some of these ideas or others that at least please your tongue and perhaps have you purchasing yeast and hops and malts.
Even if you merely sip an occasional beverage, you deserve to sip well. The River Cottage Booze Cookbook is a homey, rustic tour of the best in wild-foraged sips.
