End-Of-Summer Garden Party with Remedy Cocktail Co

Although each season is technically three months long, it seems Summer always goes by the fastest. Before you know it the end of August is here and September soon slips through your fingers like grains of sand passing quickly through an hourglass. One way to treasure the precious warmer months is to spend as much time as you can outside. A fun way to do this is to entertain outdoors such as in your backyard or garden. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate setup, even just a picnic blanket will do.

I recently had the chance to meet up with two new friends in a beautiful flower farm and garden in Buxton, Maine (just under 30 minutes from Portland) where we got to enjoy handcrafted drinks and sweet treats within fields of goldenrod and bee balm. Today on the blog I want to recap our lovely evening as well as offer tips for recreating your own end-of-summer garden party.

In the language of flowers, bee balm symbolizes prosperity, clarity of mind, health, and good luck. Ironically, I felt very lucky to have been able to co-create on this August evening with Cassandra Sears of Remedy Cocktail Co. and Briana Betts, Owner of Cactus + Cone and Seed + Spirits. All of the same attributes of the perennial favorite, bee balm (aka wild bergamot), were emblematic of the base formed from this budding friendship. From both women, I learned how flowers possess strong healing properties. As well as over the course of the shoot, I was captivated at how each of them was flowing deeply in their creative brilliance – Cassandra making herbal cocktails and mocktails using actual flowers from the fields we were in and Briana foraging a stunning bouquet with the very same flowers.

Both women are Maine-based bartenders who garden and use plants for their cocktail services. It was perhaps most special to see two people, whom some may consider direct competition, come together to create and build together in perfect harmony.

Cassandra made us a drink called Ruby-throat Sunset, named for the beloved hummingbirds who love to drink the nectar from the Bee Balm flowers. Standing at a whiskey barrel, our makeshift garden bar, we gals got to sip a beautiful floral-inspired drink in such a beautiful setting. For this shoot and girl’s garden party, we opted for minimal design elements such as foraged floral arrangements and antique serveware and ultimately let the flowers take center stage.

Ruby-throat Sunset Drink Recipe

INGREDIENTS

/ 3 oz Watermelon Juice (Maine’s melons are ripe and available now)!
/ 4-5 Fall Raspberries, muddled in shaker
/ .5 oz Culinary Grade Rose water (suggests “Wild Sings the Bird” who distills small batch non-alcoholic plant spirits in Vermont)
/ .25 oz Lime juice
/ .75 oz honey simple syrup
/ Optional: Rum (like locally distilled Rum Riot Rum from Liquid Riot)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Rim a rocks glass with sunflower petal-infused Sea Salt (Pulse equal parts fresh Bee Balm petals and sea salt in a food processor or spice grinder)
To make the honey simple syrup, dissolve equal parts raw, local honey in hot (but not boiling) water. Muddle Raspberries, then add all other ingredients and shake with ice. Double Strain and pour into glass.

Cassandra has studied herbal medicine for the last 15 years, growing lush gardens while working as an organic farmer- farmer-gardener-landscaper, and playing in the wild while mixing drinks inspired by nature. Her company, the Remedy Cocktail Co. is a cocktail catering business serving garden-to-glass cocktails and herbal tonic superfood elixirs. It was so exciting to have her make hand-crafted drinks inspired by the garden we were in.

The heart and soul of her business project is to create a platform that inspires people to connect with plants in a light, playful way. The medicine is in the libation but it is also in the experience. I absolutely found this to be true and found myself feeling a deep sense of connection to both the women I was sharing sips with, and also a renewed connection to nature itself.

Cassandra is currently publishing a book filled with herbal-inspired cocktail recipes with Chelsea Green Publishing so you can learn to make yummy drinks like the Ruby-throat Sunset and many more. Pre-orders will be next Summer and a book tour coming next Fall. Be sure to check out her quarterly newsletter (at the bottom of her website) in the meantime to learn more about her work.

A garden party calls for dressing up. That doesn’t have to mean a dress necessarily, but rather wearing anything you simply feel radiant in. We decided to let the drinks themselves and the Summer blooms inspire our color palette – with rich golden yellow and pops of purple from the goldenrod and bountiful bee balm. Before Summer ends, take full advantage of wearing vibrant hues like this sunflower yellow sundress from Anthropologie. I went extra bold with a neon pink lip as well. I loved too how Cassandra’s red lipstick perfectly matched the red bee balm drink.

Briana was responsible for creating the beautiful bouquets. Her company Cactus and Cone specializes in eco-conscious event decor and plant-based, organic cocktail services. It was truly magnificent to see her pick flowers from the field and intuitively gather them together for the floral centerpieces. When asked what her approach to foraging a floral arrangement is, she says it is essential to mark places with pins that look beautiful to you in advance so you know the best spots for wildflowers when you’re in the mood to create.

As for the building, it’s easiest to make a piece as you forage. She likes to start with the sturdiest stems first so that they can support the shape. The more flowy and whimsical flowers do best to add last. As you trim each flower try to make them a different height so there is a natural flow that can just be set into a vase. In the case of a centerpiece, the vase height and centerpiece height are best when they are almost equal. You wouldn’t want a tall vase with short flowers that don’t match the proportions.

You, yourself can visit this charming flower farm before the Summer ends. Rooted Heart Farm is a hemp and medicinal herb farm, farmstand, and community event space located in southwestern Maine at 14 Old Orchard Road. Not only can you visit the serene fields secluded from the city’s hustle and bustle, but there you can purchase CBD topicals, herbal extracts, and hemp flower concentrates there.

Summer symbolizes freedom, joy, rest, and fruitfulness. It’s a time for self-development which inevitably translates to prosperity and abundance. As the season comes to an end take time to reflect on where your energy is going – whether that be the relationships in your life (personally and professionally) or simply how you are spending your time. Remember time is precious. Although there are things to consider when entertaining like what to wear and what food and drink to serve, the real important focus of any get-together should be on the conversations had and allowing yourself the time to relax and soak it all up. Hope you can enjoy these last weeks of the season.

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