The Potent Potable Pot
“Potent Potables for $500, Alex.”
Wittingly named by my Jeopardy-loving husband after the category, “Potent Potables” on the show, this pot is the perfect hostess gift! A classic planter is filled with starter herbs that can be used to infuse, muddle, shake and garnish your favorite cocktails, lemonades, and other botanical drinks. When choosing herbs, think about which ones would be most useful in botanical cocktails as well as non-alcoholic drinks such as lemonades, teas, and waters. Choose some for infusing or muddling as well as ones specifically used to garnish. Hand-pick the herbs at your local nursery or create this pot with seedlings from your own garden or greenhouse. Regardless of how you source the herbs, this is a truly thoughtful gift that will keep on giving for years to come. Here’s how I made it:
You Will Need
a water-tight vessel pebbles (enough to line 1"-2" of the bottom of your vessel)
organic potting soil
garden trowel or scoop (I recommend Barebones gardening tools)
organic starter herbs and/or seedlings
tag or notecard to share your botanical message
To Make
Choose a water-tight vessel. Consider what the recipient would appreciate most. If you envision this sitting on their windowsill, choose a classic ceramic planter in a neutral color that matches their décor. If the recipient will use the herbs in hot teas, perhaps a pretty vintage tea pot from your local thrift store would make this gift extra meaningful.
Line the bottom of the vessel with the pebbles, about one inch or so. The pebbles provide a drainage area for access water.
Fill the pot about halfway with organic potting soil. Since these herbs will be used for culinary purposes, it’s important that the soil is free of chemicals.
Arrange the herb starts and seedlings in the pot, with the taller ones in the center and the shorter ones positioned around the outside.
Complete the gift with a tag or notecard listing the herbs included in the pot and how they can be used.On the tag for the potent potable pot shown, I wrote:
The Potent Potable Pot includes
mint for muddling,
sage for shaking,
rosemary and lemon balm for infusing,
and viola and chamomile for garnishing
your botanical cocktails.
Love, Jess
