It’s been a while since I posted on here, but I have a good excuse: I’ve been working on my second book, Make Myna Double: Cocktails for Bird Lovers! As many of you may know, I used to study birds; I earned my PhD from Boston University studying the evolution of finches in Australia and New Guinea. Even though I don’t work in ornithology anymore, I will always love birds, and they’ve often served as inspiration for original recipes on here in one way or another. Make Myna Double takes this to the extreme: the book contains 65 cocktail and mocktail recipes, each inspired by a different species of bird. You’ll be able to mix up a Macawsmapolitan or Tequila Sunbird while learning fun facts about these fascinating birds. I even did all of the illustrations for the book!
Make Myna Double was released on October 14 from Mango/Key Lime Publishing. Look for it at your favorite indie bookstore (and ask them to stock it if they don’t have it)! If you’re looking to order the book online, I recommend Barnes & Noble or the wonderful Bookshop.org (which supports independent bookstores), as Amazon has inexplicably pushed back their ship date.
Make Myna Double is the perfect gift for the cocktail or bird lover in your life! It’s full of humor, fun facts, and delicious recipes. I hope you’ll pick up a copy (or three), and please let me know what you think!
Since the last recipe I posted here was a Bramble, here is a version inspired by the Brambling, a finch native to Europe and Asia that is occasionally known to gather in massive mega-flocks during mast years when beech trees product large amounts of fruit.
Brambling
2 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. créme de mûre
1 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. ginger syrup
Combine vodka, lemon juice, and ginger syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Top with the créme de mûre and garnish with a lemon wheel and a blackberry.
For ginger syrup: Peel and slice a 3-inch piece of fresh ginger. Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add ginger and let simmer for a couple of minutes, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, cover, and let cool. Fine-strain out the ginger. Syrup will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks; throw it out if it starts to look cloudy.