PA Artists Are Making Alternative Weed Cocktails

Two artists at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Philadelphia have begun pioneering weed cocktails—though not of the psychedelic variety. As Munchies notes, the duo is actually using invasive plants like hawthorn berry and perilla leaf, weeds which are known to disturb botanical ecosystems nationwide, to flavor their elixirs, all in an effort to raise awareness about the upside associated these species.

“You can tell people about invasive plants, but without a sensible, tactile experience there’s a layer of separation,” says Zya S. Levi who, along with fellow artist Kaitlin Pomerantz, founded We the Weeds, a project to “illuminate the uses, historical and cultural significances of spontaneous wild urban flora.” Of course the pair also recognizes the harm that these plant varieties can wreak if they go unchecked, but there are instances in which weeds are beneficial, like when used in food and drink. And what better way to embrace their benefits than with a cocktail? [Munchies Vice] [Photo: Flickr/r. nial bradshaw]