Jane Gorman is the author of the Cape May Cozy Mysteries with a Twist series and the Adam Kaminski Mystery Series. Formerly an anthropologist, then a diplomat, then a park ranger, she has settled down and now calls New Jersey home. Learn more about Jane and her books at her website. 
The Author's Cocktail Garden
Growing a Cocktail Garden
Have you ever put your hand to something that seemed like it should be right up your alley, only to find that it was a lot harder than it looked? I have.
I spent a few years sweating over a vegetable garden. My tomatoes do great (I live in New Jersey, so that’s a given!), but everything else I grew seemed unhappy. It could have been the soil. Or the sunlight. Or the drainage. But it also could have been insufficient effort on my part. Gardening isn’t easy, is it?
Then two years ago, I came across a book that seemed like it was written just for me. Have you ever encountered a book like that? I know it sounds like it should be a philosophy tome or something just as serious. But no, for me it was a book about cocktail gardens.
Yep, cocktail gardens! Did you know there was a such a thing? I didn’t, though it seems kind of obvious now.
A cocktail garden makes a lot of sense for me, because I write the Cape May Cozy Mysteries with a Twist series. That means that when I sit down to write about Cape May, I’m also writing about cocktails. Each of my books involves a classic cocktail – including the recipe and a bit of the drink’s history. So far, I’ve written about the Scofflaw, the Bee’s Knees, and the Kir Royale. This means I spend a lot of time reading about cocktails, learning about liquors, and, obviously, tasting them.
Last year, for the first time, I planted only herbs, and only those that I regularly use in cocktails or that I wanted to use but could never get my hands on. I got to try new recipes made with each of the herbs I grew. I made lavender bitters and lavender simple syrup. I muddled scented geranium into gin and made mojitos with fresh mint.
Not all my plants grew. There are two I still have hopes for next year since they’re perennials. Others I’m going to replace with new herbs, to create new recipes. I’m using my time this fall to make plans for next year: getting ready to plant seeds indoors when appropriate, making sure the bed is cleared out and the soil refreshed, and going through my cocktail recipe books to figure out what I want to try new next year.
I haven’t told anyone else this yet, but next on my list is the Hot Toddy! It’s a perfect drink for a cold fall or winter’s day, made with whiskey, honey, lemon and a variety of spices. I’ve been trying out a few variations while working on my next book: Heroes and Hot Toddies.
Thanks for allowing me a few minutes of your time as a guest on this blog. I love sharing my thoughts about my writing and my interests, and if I’ve given you any ideas, even better! With winter coming, I’m looking ahead to a few short, dark, cold months in my part of the world, but thanks to the Jersey shore and my cocktail garden, I have so many fun plans to make!
A Cape May Cozy Mystery with a Twist, Book 1
Her scones might be killer, but someone else was responsible for this murder. Now Anna must rely on the town’s gossip mill and her anthropology background to catch the real killer.
It all seemed so simple: fix up the Cape May Victorian mansion she’d inherited from Great Aunt Louise and re-open it as the exceptional B&B it used to be. Everything’s going great, until her very first guest turns up dead at the breakfast table, crumbs from Anna’s blueberry scones scattered on the lace tablecloth. As the town’s gossips go into overdrive, Anna leaps into the fray to save her reputation, her business and Great Aunt Louise’s legacy.
With help from a handsome handyman eager to solve all of Anna’s problems and a young police officer new to murder investigations, Anna does her best to find the real killer and convince the town – and her future guests – that staying at her B&B doesn’t have to be deadly.
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2 comments:
Sounds fun looking forward to reading it
Thanks Deborah!
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