The Bar Journal

The gastronomic trend for foraging for ingredients has crossed over to drinks and is being taken up by top bartenders.

Nick Strangeway, owner of British drinks consultancy company Strangehill, and long-time collaborator with chef Mark Hix, is at the forefront of the trend.

Nick has previously devised a number of cocktails at Hix’s coastal restaurants using ingredients commonly found and foraged from the English coast. The Talisker and Sea Buckthorn Toddy developed for Hix uses water, whisky and the juice of the bright orange berries of the sea buckthorn alongside lemon and honey to create a foraged twist on the hot toddy. Autumn berries and plants are put to use in his latest creations, the Nettle Gimlet and Hedgerow Punch. We also experienced week ago a delicious London Dry Gin infuse with green pea and mint, inspired by the famous Xix’s Fish & Chips, believe or not…. “simple is always original”…..

Picking and eating goods found naturally in the countryside and green land in cities is to many, especially city-dwellers, an exciting novelty and a revelation. The appeal for consumers also lies in the seasonality and freshness of the products used. The trend also has a hint of nostalgia about it. The making of sloe gins and damson vodkas is already a common practise at this time of year.

Picking and making use of other commonly found ingredients that have been largely ignored of late, also feels like a small step towards returning to a time when people made use of the ingredients that were around them to produce their own goods.

SALUTE!