Making a Bourbonarium is simple! All you need are some materials and things easily found around the house and you're set!
Most important thing you need is a good empty bourbon bottle after you finish your favorite bourbon.
A personal favorite of mine - Redemption High Rye Bourbon. Very smooth and a good sweetness! The minimalistic bottle also offers a good aesthetic base to your creation.
Next thing you need to do is clean and prepare the bottle. Soak the bottle in some water with dish soap or Mr. Clean for 3-4 days. This will loosen up the label glue pretty good.
The label should slide right off with minimal effort. If there is some residual label and glue, use a steel wool or butter knife to scrape it off, and then scrub clean with dish soap and sponge.
After the label is removed and exterior is clean, you can sterilze and give a thorough cleaning by running the bottle through the dishwasher WITHOUT soap.
Once the bottle is clean to your satisfaction, you can start to build the bourbonarium. First you will want to put in the drainage stones. This will allow for any moisture to gather at the bottom away from the roots. 1/2 cup of stones will be good for a 750ml bourbon bottle.
You can use your hands to pour them in a little at a time.
For the next few steps it will be useful to use a funnel to pour the ingredients into the bourbonarium. With a normal sheet of printing paper and scotch tape, we can easily achieve a quick temporary funnel.
Next you will add 1/4 cup of activated charcoal. This layer helps to keep the soil fresh by removing toxins and odor.
For soil you can use 1 cup of regular potting soil. Pour it through the funnel and gently pat it down with a long implement. I prefer using a pair of chopsticks taped together.
Now as to what terrarium flora you would like to add to the bourbonarium is up to you. You should keep in mind that the plant life will need to prefer a terrarium environment. This means it will be relatively humid. Plants in the cacti family will not like this environment. You can get a small fern or another leafy green plant and drop-plant it in. Clover bulbs also work well. My preferred method is a mixup of common garden herbs. These grow easily and give a nice variety.
A spoon of a dozen or so seeds will get 'er done
Finish the job by adding 1/3 cup of water. This will be the only water you will need to add. The moist enviroment will provide for enough moisture to keep the plant life happy. Find a nice window sill or shelf that gets good sunlight to place the bourbonarium. Direct consistent sunlight sometimes leads to algae; this is OK, natural, and mostly unavoidable. If you have much algae, you can use a long bottle brush or cloth afixed to the long chopstick implement.
Corking the bourbonarium will help contain the moisture inside. If the inside gets too condensated, just take the cork out for a couple days. After a week or so you should see some small sprouts!
Happy Bourbonarium-ing!
