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Botany and booze: Grow the perfect cocktail garden

By Rachel Nania

WASHINGTON — It’s time to think outside the flower box.

The food you grow in your garden isn’t limited to the salad bowl. Amy Stewart, author of “The Drunken Botanist,” says it’s time to drink in the fruits of your labor. She offers tips and ideas on how to garden for the sake of cocktails.

To start a cocktail garden, Stewart says, plant what you like and what grows well in your area.

“This is really about embracing the climate that you have,” says Stewart, who lives in the Pacific Northwest and has success growing raspberries and blueberries. “I was just in Mobile, Ala., and they can grow sugarcane and I was so jealous. Fresh cut sugarcane in a mojito? That is so fabulous.”

According to the USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map, The Farmer’s Almanac and WTOP Garden Editor Mike McGrath, the following plants are a few examples of ones that thrive in the greater D.C. area:

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Mamani Gin and Tonic Cocktail: Gin, tonic, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, cucumber, celery and tomato. (Amy Stewart)

  • Apples
  • Asparagus (requires its own bed but lives for decades)
  • Beets
  • Beans
  • Blackberries (perennial; needs lots of room)
  • Bell peppers
  • Blueberries (require very acid soil)
  • Cantaloupe (long-season crop; not easy)
  • Cherries (big trees)
  • Chives
  • Cucumbers
  • Grapes (perennial; needs lots of care)
  • Eggplant
  • Lettuce
  • Onions
  • Peaches (requires the most care of any fruit)
  • Parsnips
  • Radishes
  • Rosemary (not hardy over winter in outlying areas; perennial in the city)
  • Sage
  • Strawberries
  • Thyme
  • Tomatoes

Herbs: Use the Uncommon

When choosing plants and herbs to add to your cocktail garden, Stewart says, pick odd and interesting herbs that are not “the run-of-the-mill kitchen garden plants.”

Tomatoes, peppers and strawberries are common in home gardens, and while they are all great in cocktails, Stewart says less common plants, such as scented geranium, lavender and lemon verbena, all make great drinks as well.

“Those are herbs that are all very edible, but we can’t really cook with them much,” Stewart says. “You can make shortbread cookies, but there’s not much else you can really do. But in cocktails, you can use them for everything.”

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Champagne Mojito Cocktail: Rum, simple syrup, lime juice, mint, fresh berries amd sparkling wine. (Amy Stewart)

Stewart says scented geraniums (Pelargonium sp.) are perfect in a simple syrup.

Commonly called geraniums, the leaves of these plants have fragrances and flavors that range from rose to cinnamon, coconut and apricot. Stewart makes a simple syrup (one part water to one part sugar) with the rose-flavored leaves and uses the mixture to make a refreshing cocktail, perfect for spring.

“That is something that can be splashed into a vodka or gin drink, and you get this really amazing floral flavor that they can’t do for you down at your local watering hole,” she says. “It really takes a gardener.”

Another refreshing, herbal cocktail Stewart makes uses lavender and lemongrass — two plants that are generally among the first of spring’s bounty.

Stewart makes a simple syrup with a “bunch” of lavender and some “big chunks” of lemongrass in the mix.

After the syrup cools, Stewart mixes it with vodka, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a splash of club soda.

“It’s amazing,” she says.

Summer Fruits and Vegetables in Cocktails

As the season gets warmer and summer approaches, Stewart likes to incorporate tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers into her beverages.

Her Herbarium recipe calls for gin, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, cucumber, basil, lemon and club soda.

“The flavor of basil in a drink is so fresh and interesting. I just love it,” Stewart says.

When tomatoes and cilantro come in, muddle them with 1.5 ounces of vodka, add a splash of celery bitters and serve the drink shaken, in a cocktail glass.

Fresh peaches and potted mint go great muddled with bourbon and mixed with a splash of simple syrup and some peach bitters over crushed ice. Peaches also make a great summer old-fashioned.

Presentation and Parties

When it comes to garnishing drinks, Stewart suggests taking advantage of edible flowers in your garden, such as pansies, violas and borage flowers. Flower “ice cubes” make quite a splash with guests.

Fill each spot in an ice tray halfway and freeze the cubes. Then, place a flower on the frozen half-cube; fill the rest of the cube with water and freeze the cubes again. When it comes time for your garden soir

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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