Book Review: Blackthorn's Botanical Brews by Amy Blackthorn

  • Source: I bought this book because it looked great!

  • My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (see my review on Goodreads)

The first time I visited my favorite local herb shop (The Herb Bar!), I saw Blackthorn’s Botanical Brews on their small shelf of books and the aesthetic 100% appealed to me. Then I flipped through the pages and knew it had to be mine.

This book is the kind of comprehensive guide to delightful things that I LOVE. Like most cocktail recipe books, it starts with a guide to the tools and common ingredients you will be using for your concoctions. And like most magical books, it starts with an introduction to making your own magic, common tools, and approaches. Now, Blackthorn has done a perfect job of combining these two things into a magical guidebook for cocktails! You get a list of tools, but they are the magical versions that you will be using for your magical cocktails.

I am thoroughly impressed by the amount of research that went into the creation of this book and the rich depth provided within. Each section (whether it’s about absinthe, apples, syrups, or sweets) provides a list of correspondences, a very descriptive guide to magical uses and meanings, as well as at least one recipe! And one of my favorite parts? Every single recipe includes the meaning/intention for the ingredients! This is so helpful for me, when I’m following a recipe to make a success cocktail or whatever, and I can be reminded about the reason I am putting each ingredient into the shaker. I feel like this is something missing from SO many recipe books and I very much appreciate it here.

Needless to say, Blackthorn’s Botanical Brews is now a mainstay on my recipe shelf. It’s a reference and guidebook I will be using for the rest of my life!

book reviewKelleywitchcraft, cocktails