Sweet Cicely Champagne
May 5, 2020A quenching, lightly anise flavoured variant of elderflower champagne
A quenching, lightly anise flavoured variant of elderflower champagne
I love it when seasons – and their flavours – overlap. During July sweet cicely leaves are still about and beautifully echo the aniseed notes of horse mushrooms. This gorgeous wee plate takes 15 minutes to knock up…
Sweet cicely offers many sensual pleasures to the forager. There is an ampleness and generosity in her growth that is pleasing to the eye – seldom taller than a metre or so, but always appearing substantial without being solid. Despite being a member of the often scary carrot family, this gorgeous plant is one I recommend to novice foragers.
There is something about alcoholic aniseed flavours that works wonderfully with sunshine – as witnessed by the popularity of drinks on the licorice-anise spectrum around the med: absinthe, ouzo, sambuca, anis…I could go on. So I figured why not use our indigenous (in the north of Britain anyway) sweet cicely (myrrhis oderata) to make a cocktail.
A guest post by Shelia Dillon, food journalist and presenter of the BBC Radio 4 Food Programme.