This workshop falls on Samhain, the Gaelic holiday that our modern day Halloween originates from. Samhain marks the start of the descent from summer into the dark days of winter with the belief that this time of year our intuitive powers are sharpened, allowing for connection with ancestors, the underworld and the non-human world. To honor this time of the year, a portion of this bitters potion making workshop will focus on the ritual herbal practices of Samhain.
In our modern era, classic bitters such as Angostura are often splashed into a cocktail. These bitters have their roots in European culinary traditions of aperitifs or digestifs (think Cynar, Campari), which all contain secret blends of botanicals that were historically used as plant-based medicine.
In this interactive workshop, clinical herbalist Kelly Owensby of West of the Moon will explore how bitter botanicals have changed history, influenced our bodies' co-evolution with bitter botanicals and had a significant impact on our overall health.
Participants will experiment with tasting and formulating with 30 different herbal flavor profiles. Learn about the health impact and medicinal properties of different herbs, and take home a custom-crafted herbal bitters tincture to splash into bubbly water as a seasonal survival strategy.