The whole story
The Conjurer's Last Trick
Chapter I
The Afternoon Show
In the back room of an old lolly shop, Ambrose the fox tips his top hat and pulls liquorice out of thin air: a pinch of aniseed, a curl of vanilla bean, a flourish over strong black tea. The queue swears there's chocolate in it too; he just winks. The show is such a hit that by sunset nobody wants to leave, so Ambrose sets off to find one last trick that will send everyone happily home.
Where it's from · Aniseed is the tiny seed of a Mediterranean herb, and the flavour behind old-fashioned liquorice lollies. Vanilla is the dried, fermented pod of a climbing orchid first grown in Mexico and now mostly in Madagascar. There's no liquorice root or cocoa here: the chocolate-liquorice trick is all aniseed, vanilla and flavouring over black tea.
Brew this chapterThe Aniseed Conjurer →
Chapter II
The Lamplighter's Hour
Ambrose follows the lamplighter down the lane, flicking each lamp alight with his wand. At the last cottage a small grey moth is watching a kettle through the window, so he slips inside to see what's brewing: chamomile, lavender, lemon balm and a curl of spearmint. The room smells like a summer meadow at dusk, and the crowd that followed him grows quiet for the first time all day. Closer, thinks Ambrose. But not quite.
Where it's from · Lavender loves the sunny, stony hills of the Mediterranean, where whole valleys turn purple in summer. Chamomile is a little daisy grown across Europe and North Africa, lemon balm is a lemony cousin of mint, and passionflower is a climbing vine from the Americas. Every ingredient in this jar is organic.
Brew this chapterLavender Lamplight →
Chapter III
The Last Trick
Long after midnight, Ambrose sits on a log in the gully, all out of tricks. Then a mopoke in the gum tree starts her soft two-note call, and one by one the lights in town go out. Ambrose finally understands: the last trick isn't a trick at all. He sets his top hat aside, drops chamomile, rose petals and a pinch of hops into the pot, and pours one last warm cup for himself and the owl. Lights out.
Where it's from · The mopoke, or southern boobook, is Australia's smallest owl, named for her two-note call. Hops are the papery green cones best known for flavouring beer; here they add a mellow, gently bitter depth. Chamomile and passionflower carry on from the lamplighter's hour, joined by rose, cornflower, lemongrass and spearmint.
Brew this chapterThe Mopoke's Lullaby →The end. The best trick is knowing when the show is over.
