Gardening for Cocktails: Rose Scented Geranium
Did you know I literally have a black thumb? It’s a joke I’ve told most of my life despite my love of plants and gardening. Perhaps, I just love plants to death. Perhaps, it’s a combination of too much love, inexperience, and downright neglect. In any case, a lot of plants have lost their lives in my care. But a lot have made it too!!! Brining me such joy!
In any case, this is a story of failure and perseverance. I definitely over harvested my first rose scented geranium. I got excited when the plant document was true and the leaves really did taste like roses. I muddled them in my bourbon lemonade, played with them in the Honeyed Rose Garden (if your rose water is less than rose add a few torn leaves to the cocktail), and made them into a lovely syrup. Before you knew it, my geranium was looking a little less rosy.
So I started over, with two plants rather than just one. While I wait for them to reach maturity, I’m coveting what remains of my rose scented syrup. That delicate beauty found a home in an old fashioned topped with apple bitters I’m calling the Autumn Rose Garden because that’s when my next batch of geranium will be ready to go. You can find the recipe for the Autumn Rose Garden in our tarot deck coming this fall.
Ruby is also awaiting the rose scented geranium to be mature. It hides the best lizards in her opinion.
