Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin with Dr. Julia Skinner
Hello Libration Nation! Our book this week is Catwings a whimsical and heartwarming tale by beloved author Ursula K. Le Guin. The story follows four ordinary kittens born with an extraordinary gift—they have wings. As they set out to find a safe place in the world, the kittens discover both the beauty and challenges of being different. With gentle language and charming illustrations, Catwings is a modern classic that captures the magic of imagination, the courage of leaving home, and the comfort of finding where you belong.
My guest this week is the amazing Dr. Julia Skinner, she is a food writer whose work includes the award-winning book Our Fermented Lives. She is the founder of The Culinary Curiosity School, and also runs Root, a food-focused community and consulting organization offering classes, consulting on creative projects, a weekly newsletter, and more. She's also the founder of Roots and Branches, where she coaches other writers to help them find their voice and share their most important work with the world.
She is also a nature lover, a teacher, and a traveler who firmly believes in finding, and sharing, the magic of everyday life. She has a PhD in Library & Information Science, and lives between Atlanta, GA and Cork, Ireland.
As a special treat for Libration Nation: use the code DRINKSPOD to for 30% off anything at both The Culinary Curiosity School and Roots and Branches (Thank you Julia!)
You can follow her work in her newsletter, or find her on social:
@bookishjulia (writing)
@rootkitchens (food)
@yourrootsandbranches (coaching)
@culinary.curiosity.school (culinary courses)
For our drink we have two options:
Simple Cat Lovers' Cocktail
This is basically a Kentucky mule, with an added herbal garnish and/or herbal syrup (depending on your preference) in place of lime.
Stir together 1 - 1 1/2 c ginger beer to 1 shot bourbon
Add herbal syrup (below) to taste (optional)
Garnish with fresh lemon balm, basil, or mint: lightly crush or roll before adding to the cocktail for maximum flavor
Herbal syrup (makes about 1 quart): Combine 2 c sugar to 2 c water with a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Add 1-2 c packed fresh herbs, depending how strong you'd like it (like basil, mint, lemon balm, or mountain mint). Simmer on M/L for 10-15 minutes or until aromatic and flavorful. Cool and store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Catwings Cocktail (tailor made by Julia!)
This cocktail has a few steps, but I promise they're worth it: And you can batch out the syrup and tea by doubling or tripling the recipe to make these for a group or to keep the ingredients on hand in the fridge (where they'll last a week). The tea can be nice on its own, and any leftover syrup is perfect for adding to coffee or other beverages or drizzling on desserts.
For a non-alcoholic version, swap in your favorite NA gin, or try this sea buckthorn-based NA spirit.
Makes 4 cocktails
For the herbal tea:
(Note: you may not have all these dried herbs available. If not, just use 1/4-1/2 tsp catnip and 1 tsp chamomile. Or, just a chamomile tea bag).
· 1/4 tsp dried catnip
· 1/4 tsp dried chamomile flower
· 1/4 tsp Angelica root
· 1/4 tsp elecampene
Steep the herbs in 3/4 c hot water for 10-12 minutes. Strain and cool completely.
For the lemon balm syrup:
(Note: You can play with other herbs you like here too, catnip, mountain mint, and/or basil might be fun choices depending on your tastes and what’s available).
· 1 packed cup fresh lemon balm leaves
· 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
· 2/3 c water
· pinch salt
· 1 c sugar
Heat all ingredients together over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until fragrant and flavorful.
Remove from heat, then cool completely and strain.
For the cocktail
· Divide the herbal tea across 4 rocks glasses (add ice, if desired)
· Add 1 shot gin to each glass
· Add 1 shot of syrup to each glass and stir
· Top with sparkling wine or soda water to taste.
· Garnish with fresh lemon balm, if desired.
In this Episode
Steering the Craft by Ursula Le Guin
