Flower Power

Springing ahead with blooming beverages

WORDS BY MARCIA J. HAMM PHOTOGRAPHY SUPPLIED

April is a month of anticipation as we say goodbye to snow, and welcome longer days filled with sunshine. It’s time to prepare the patio and plan long-awaited outdoor gatherings. Take a walk through a favourite greenhouse to see and smell the flowers on display. Let them inspire you to create a cocktail that is pretty to look at, and delicious to drink.

For fans of the gin and tonic, a Gin Rickey provides a great alternative because it uses soda instead of tonic. The cocktail is named for Joe Rickey, a popular political figure during the late 1800s who spent time campaigning for President Grover Cleveland. While on the campaign trail one hot summer, a bartender at the local watering hole in D.C. made this drink per Rickey’s specifications using rye whisky as the base spirit. After that, Rickeys of various makes and strengths were created with bourbon, brandy, and gin—the latter soon eclipsing all others as the spirit of choice.

While the original Gin Rickey is a tried-and-true recipe, a bit of lavender syrup works well to lend a touch of sweetness and florality. Many specialty food shops carry pre-made syrups, but if you want to make one from scratch, research first to find out which flowers are safe to consume. An optional float made with butterfly pea flower powder gives a pop of colour, and a sprig of lavender adds a pretty finishing touch.

Lemon Lavender Gin Rickey

Yields 2

4 oz gin

1½ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

1½ oz lavender syrup

6 oz club soda or sparkling water

4 to 6 ice cubes

Lavender syrup:

3 tbsp dried, food-grade lavender flower buds

1 c sugar

1 c water

Add ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and immediately turn down to simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Once the syrup has cooled, strain out the lavender and store in a jar in the fridge.

Float:

1 tsp blue butterfly pea flower powder (available online or at specialty shops)

4 oz cold water

Combine powder and water in a small measuring cup and stir until dissolved. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.

Garnish:

2 lemon wheels

2 lavender sprigs

Fill two Collins glasses with ice. Set aside. In a bar glass, combine gin, lemon juice and lavender syrup. Stir to combine, and split the amount between the glasses. Top each glass with 3 ounces of club soda or sparkling water. If finishing with the float, slowly pour a few teaspoons of the mixture on top and garnish with a lemon wheel and lavender sprig.

The hibiscus is a tropical tree with beautiful flowers that can be white, red, pink, yellow, or orange. Red hibiscus powder added to a simple syrup creates a vibrant cranberry colour along with a tartness that works well in cocktails. That astringency also helps to temper a fiery spirit like bourbon, as in the recipe below.

Tropical Hibiscus Bourbon

Yields 1

1½ oz bourbon

½ oz lemon juice

¾ oz orgeat (almond syrup)

1 oz hibiscus simple syrup

4 to 6 ice cubes

Crushed ice, enough to fill two rocks glasses

Simple syrup:

1 c water

1 c sugar

1 tbsp hibiscus powder (available online or at specialty shops)

Add ingredients to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and immediately turn down to simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Once cooled, store in a jar in the fridge.

In a cocktail shaker, combine bourbon, lemon juice, orgeat, and hibiscus simple syrup. Add ice cubes, then shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice.

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Floral syrups make for tasty non-alcoholic drinks, too. For a refreshing spring drink, simply add ¾ ounce of your favourite floral syrup (elderflower works well) to 6 ounces of sparkling water over ice.

The studio of master craftsman, Clay Ellis, sits right in the heart of Edmonton’s lively arts community. His dedication to the craft and years of hard work have produced countless sculptures and canvases with vivid colours and complex patterns.

Born and raised in Medicine Hat, and eventually finding his way to Edmonton, Ellis's interest in art began in his early twenties. Initially dabbling in ceramics, his art evolved through his experiences at influential workshops such as the Emma Lake Workshop in Saskatchewan, and the Triangle France Workshop, an international artists’ workshop held at the l’Ecole d’Art de Marseille-Luminy. These experiences enriched his approach and allowed him to work alongside icons such as Clement Greenberg, Karen Wilkin, and Michael Fried.

At age 40, Ellis transitioned from creating massive steel sculptures to working with resins, enabling him to create vibrant and dynamic "skins" or "tarps" that transcended the traditional boundaries of sculpture. By layering transparent colours and incorporating geometric patterns, Ellis blurred the line between two-dimensional surfaces and volumetric masses. His meticulous process of manipulation, stretching, and draping these tarps on steel frames resulted in sculptures that exuded a sense of disembodied physicality, inviting viewers to question their perception of space and form.

Finding his inspiration in a cyclical nature, Ellis cites that "work usually springs from work," emphasizing the importance of continual creative evolution. For him, creation is a never-ending journey. Each project he completes is built on the foundation laid by its predecessors. His art, with striking melanges of colours and patterns, emerged from years of exploration and experimentation. Although he acknowledges the influences in his work from artists like Sir Anthony Caro, he is emphatic that the first loyalty an artist has is to his creative vision.

To view his artwork, a portion of Ellis’s work is currently on display at the Peter Robertson Gallery. More pieces are at the Edmonton Convention Centre, MacEwan University, and the Edmonton Public Library in Capilano. Ellis’s artistic footprint also extends beyond Alberta's borders, gracing galleries across the globe from the cultural hubs of England, France and Spain, to artistic meccas across the United States and Canada.

At age 65, Ellis finds a sense of accomplishment in navigating the path of an artist, be it in completing commissions or maintaining his studio practice, he finds solace and fulfillment in the act of creation in itself. "Maintaining the studio,” he says, “getting up every morning, working…that's obviously the biggest feat." WWW.