Danny Childs
FERMENTATION
Danny Childs is the author of the groundbreaking cocktail book "Slow Drinks," which guides readers on how to use local and seasonal ingredients in the art of mixology. This book focuses on incorporating the flora growing around you into cocktail-making. The author of this review, who received an advance copy of the book in the spring, finds it to be one of their most-used recipe books, perhaps ever.
Before Danny became a bartender, he worked in ethnobotany with indigenous communities in South America, including the Shipibo and Mapuche. These experiences shaped his unique perspective on creating cocktails that reflect local ecosystems. Now based in New Jersey, he uses regional flora to craft syrups, amaros, and other cocktail components, pointing toward a new trend in mixology. Some predict that this approach will lead to more cocktail bars operating like restaurants, creating their own spirits and other ingredients from local produce.
Danny Childs took his innovative approach to The Farm and Fisherman Tavern in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a suburban area near Philadelphia. His success there led to the publication of "Slow Drinks," which serves as both a foundational guide to building a bar and a collection of recipes. He has since left the restaurant to further develop the Slow Drinks concept, likely involving lectures and workshops. To stay updated with his work, follow @SlowDrinks on Instagram.
"Slow Drinks" is not just a book about syrups; it explores seasonal amaros, spruce beer, and even amaretto made from peach pits. It aims to transform how people think about cocktails by encouraging the use of local ingredients. While Danny Childs isn't the only person exploring these ideas, his book is a valuable resource for those interested in trying them. The recipes are adaptable, making them useful for people in different regions with varying local ingredients.
Organized by season, Slow Drinks teaches home cooks, industry pros, homebrewers, and foragers how to transform botanical ingredients—whether gleaned, grown in the garden, or purchased from the store—into singular beverages and cocktails. With transporting photography and gorgeous color illustrations, Slow Drinks is the definitive guide to backyard mixology that can live just as comfortably in your basket on a foraging trip, as it can on the coffee table as a conversation piece.
Equipped with all the basic information needed to ferment, infuse, and pickle, and the reminder to attune your eyes to the bounty of the fields, gardens, and neighborhoods around you, Slow Drinks is your guide to making drinks that tell a story of time and place.
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