She was encouraged when Alice Doyle, co-founder of Log House Plants, suggested a number of unusual cultivars, including the authentic Cuban mint variety grown in Havana called Menta x villosa Cuban Mojito, a ruby-hued celery called Redventure and a Mexican sour gherkin cucumber.
“There were all these plants that I wanted to grow and I thought other gardeners would too,” said Stewart, who first was featured in The Times for “Flower Confidential,” her book on the cut-flower industry. In conjunction with the book’s release, the mail-order company Territorial Seeds and Oregon wholesale nursery Log House Plants are introducing cocktail-plant collections. “It’s definitely true that a good drink in a nice bar is approaching $20,” she said - a trend that can be attributed to an increased interest in eating (and drinking) seasonal ingredients as well as a revival of old recipes calling for obscure bitters and liqueurs.
In modern-day Los Angeles, the price of “hand-crafted” cocktails can rival that of an entree at some restaurants, but according to Stewart, when you understand which herbs, berries and flowers add flavor to a drink, it’s easy enough to grow your own intoxicating ingredients. His farm manager James Anderson grew and harvested the grains on Washington’s land, ground them into flour or meal at his own gristmill, and converted those grains into whiskey to sell to taverns.
Did you know, for example, that George Washington is America’s most famous early distiller of rye whiskey? According to Stewart, our first president controlled the entire supply chain.
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