On January 28, 2016, the LAZ Association, in cooperation with an expert in the field of aromatic plants, dr. Janko Rodet, gave an interesting lecture entitled Herbal drinks for well-being and thirst.
This is what Dr. wrote after the lecture. Rode:
This time’s lecture provided an overview of the usefulness of herbs for flavoring alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks.
It is a tradition here that almost every good owner enriches his brandy with selected herbs. Most often, these are wine rutica and wormwood. Harvesting from herbs can be a starting point for preparing liqueurs, where the herbal extract is supplemented with sugar syrup and in this way the alcoholic sharpness of brandy is removed from it. By soaking several herbs that we collect throughout the season, we can prepare bitters or hunting liqueur. Herbs can also help with the preparation of cocktails such as mohito or julep. Less often today, we soak cabbage in wine. In this way, they sometimes ‘repaired’ the wine, if it was not very lucky. Wines with herbs such as wormwood or veliki oman were considered a tonic.
The usefulness of drinks does not end with firing. Herbal tea can also be prepared as a cold drink. In some Mediterranean countries, they prepare cold tea from mint and lemon juice. A wide range of aromatic plants is available to you. Lavender, curly mint, lemon balm, catnip, rosemary and other refreshing herbs can serve as a combination. Such herbs can also be used to flavor lemonade, fruit juices or plain water. In many countries, cold drinks are prepared based on milk and yogurt. For a variety of flavors, various fresh and dried herbs and aromatic fragrance seeds are added. This is also how the Indian drink Lassi is created. A trendy drink, a smoothie or a mixture gains its aromaticity and positive effect if parsley, dill, basil or mint are mixed into it.
Even with drinks, herbs give the opportunity to create and find their favorite combinations of flavors and aromas for refreshment, easier digestion or just a welcome.
At the end, over thirty participants of the lecture were richer for new knowledge or consolidation of what they already knew. We believe that in the Jablaniška valley, the locals will be even more enthusiastic about preparing various herbal concoctions and drinks and standing in front of their guests with them.