“When you walk through a garden with a drink in your hand, it’s one of the most amazing things,” Patrick Reynolds tells me to explain why he’s throwing the Spirit of Lotusland cocktail contest on November 5. That’s pretty hard to deny while walking past the meticulously manicured, magically beautiful plants of Lotusland and sipping on a gin, orange blossom, Meyer lemon, tangerine, and hummingbird sage cocktail that Reynolds whipped up from the Montecito garden’s old citrus trees.
Reynolds built his reputation as one of Santa Barbara’s cocktail innovators through his Farm-to-Bar series on Tuesday nights at Wildcat Lounge, which spurred the founding of the adjacent Bobcat Room. But upon seeing an ad on Craigslist for a position in events and marketing for Lotusland, he fell back on his botany studies to land the job, which combines his love for plants with his keen sense of party planning. “It’s my first desk job,” admits Reynolds.
He’s been bringing a bit of youthful pizzazz to the 37-acre garden’s programming, helping Lotusland attract the next generation of fans. “Everyone our age thinks that there is a two-year waiting list still,” said Reynolds, assuring that there is not.