Peel Mansion celebrates heritage

"Garden Party" and "Lawn Dart" were among the names of the drinks served to about 85 people in attendance at Drink the Garden, a first-year event June 21 at The Peel Mansion Museum & Heritage Gardens in Bentonville.

Four local mixologists created cocktails including herbs from the gardens and locally grown produce. The purpose of the event was to showcase the heirloom gardens at The Peel Mansion Museum & Heritage Gardens in a new way, said Tiffany Hellerstedt, development and marketing coordinator for The Peel Compton Foundation, in a July 2 email. It was also an opportunity to form new partnerships and highlight local mixologists in an innovative way, she said. Another goal was to raise awareness of the foundation and to showcase The Peel Mansion Museum & Heritage Gardens as one of the foundation's properties. The funds from the event will go toward general operating expenses for future programs, she added.

At the first station, Emily Lawson of Pink House Alchemy prepared a drink called "Garden Party, which included Bacardi rum, apple fennel shrub, falernum and mint. Farmers Market crudité with buttermilk chive dressing was also provided at this station, Hellerstedt said.

The second station featured Casey Letellier of 28 Springs making a cocktail titled "Lawn Dart." It was created with Rock Town bourbon, fresh raspberries, Broadbent Madeira and chocolate mint, she said. Smoked trout mousse was served at this station.

Daniel Swisher of Eleven at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art created a beverage named "Drop the Beet" at the third station. The drink featured sweet potato vodka, fresh beets, cilantro and coriander. Canyon Ridge chevre stuffed fig and Napoleon of watermelon and feta were provided with this cocktail, Hellerstedt said.

At the fourth station, Brandon Davidson of The Hive at 21c Museum Hotel made a drink called "Tequila Mockingbird" with Monte Alban Mezcal tequila, blueberry shrub, sage, fresh squeezed lime juice and garnished with a lemon, she said. Caramel corn and candied bacon were served with this beverage.

A coffee and tea station featured beverages by Airship Coffee, along with blueberry cobbler.

Case Dighero, culinary director at Crystal Bridges Museum, prepared food for each station.

Each of the stations also featured the renderings of the master plan for The Peel Mansion Museum & Heritage Gardens, which covered the overall concept of the master plan along with six key areas of development, Hellerstedt said. The master plan includes "our vision to be a welcoming landmark that inspires the public to discover and enjoy the historic home and heritage garden of early Bentonville," she said.

"We believe there is so much more this welcoming landmark can offer to the community; we want to create The Peel Mansion Museum & Heritage Gardens to be an island of natural beauty that refreshes visitors, serves as a resource for programs to enrich and inspire, as well as a place where people gather to celebrate," she said.

Some of the improvements in the master plan include a wrought iron gate and fence, kitchen improvements, greenhouse and garden work area, privacy wall and visitors' bathrooms. She said all of these "are greatly needed."