I’m going to take a little different approach this week and not just blog about a cocktail. Sure, I had a great cocktail called the Wildflower that was made with vodka, lavender, lemon juice, honey and cassis. The drink was subtly sweet and floral and tasted like springtime in a glass.
But more than that, I want to blog about the power of local. For the last six months or so, my wife and I have been trying to visit a relatively new restaurant in our area called The Millworks. We’re not big planners so our efforts are usually regulated to calling for reservations at dinnertime and realizing that the place is already booked up for the evening. Since we knew in advance that we were heading out Saturday night with friends, we called earlier in the week and were able to get reservations. Let me just say that the place was well worth the wait. The Millworks prides itself on using locally produced ingredients in their menu items. Since it’s located in Harrisburg, PA, the menu is full of locally farmed meats and cheeses and locally produced beers, wines and liquors. That’s where the Wildflower comes in. The drink is made with a locally produced vodka and locally farmed honey. I copied down the basic ingredients from the menu but I don’t know the exact measurements. I tried to do some searching online for “The Wildflower” but came up with so many variations that it was hard to know for sure which was which. For the budding mixologists out there who may happen on this blog, the basic ingredients below should give you a starting point.
Back to the power of local. I have to say that there’s something inspiring about being able to know where your food comes from. I’m reminded of an episode from Portlandia where patrons at a restaurant were escorted by a waitress to a farm to see firsthand where their beef had been raised. While this takes the local concept to a humorous level, it’s actually not that impossible. Looking down the menu at the Millworks, many of the ingredients had come from locations within a driving distance of the restaurant. And that’s how things used to be, before big conglomerates started to mass produce things. But with places like the Millworks being so successful, the tide is starting to turn. More and more local breweries, wineries and farms are springing up. I know several local people who are producing quality wines and brewing quality beers. Instead of buying produce that was grown in another country, I can buy meats and vegetables from a CSA (community supported agriculture). I can even meet the farmers if I want to. There’s a certain integrity and transparency that comes from buying local. So this week, I raise a Wildflower cocktail to the Millworks and all of the other local businesses out there who are trying to shrink the distance between producer and consumer. Cheers.
The Wildflower
- Vodka
- Lavender
- Lemon juice
- Honey
- Cassis
Tipsy Trails 