Photos by Giant Giants

No one wants a drive-thru existence. We don’t want to order our sensory experiences through an app. But that’s what we often settle for in the rush of modern life. Entrepreneur Kinsey Rosene offers an antidote to that with the introduction of Evergreen Room in downtown Hudson. A tea and botanical cocktail lounge with a cozy, tropical vibe and a slow-down ethos, Evergreen Room serves house-blended teas, inventive cocktails and small dishes prepared with seasonal, local ingredients.

Evergreen Room is the natural extension of Rosene’s popular herbal apothecary next door, CroseNest, where an extensive selection of herbs, teas, gifts and DIY mixing stations invite customers to discover the healing power of plants.

Rosene developed a relationship with nature early on, moving across the West with her family. “As a middle child moving around a lot, I would venture to say the outdoors… acted as a retreat from the uncertainty of life. I had a connection with nature from a young age that has never wavered.”

From her childhood beginnings making twig tea on a cattle ranch in Colorado and avoiding dangerous cacti in the Arizona desert, Rosene went on to discover plant science, the world’s oldest form of medicine. She studied Western folk herbalism at the CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism in Brookline and Thyme Herbal Apothecary in Worcester. She learned to use herbs, barks, roots, seeds, clay and other natural materials to make remedies. Now she teaches her customers to create their own teas, elixirs, bath soaks and culinary recipes using traditional ingredients.

CroseNest, which first opened in Lowell’s Mill No. 5 in 2016, grew quickly; the space in downtown Hudson provided a welcome opportunity to expand. Evergreen Room adds a gathering place to CroseNest, where Rosene says she hopes to get more people “excited about plants.”

Everything served at Evergreen Room is herbally infused, from the brine for the pickled green beans (lemon balm, French tarragon and damiana), to the seasonal jams (wild Maine blueberry jam with lavender), to housemade cultured butter sprinkled with a floral herb blend. House-blended teas, specialty beverages including Lattea’s (tea, house syrups and steamed milk) and Botanical Fizzes (iced tea infusions with house syrups, topped with sparkling water) are formulated using the apothecary’s best sellers, like the Twilight Steamer with lavender, chamomile, butterfly pea flower syrup and whole or oat milk, or the Third Eye with CroseNest's powdered blend of cacao, cinnamon, coconut, reishi, cardamom, clove, licorice root, chaga, maca and milk.

Head Chef Kelly Bollens-Lund’s menu is seasonally inspired, incorporating ingredients from local farms like Small Farm in Stowe and Fat Moon Mushrooms in Westford. Graze boards include a selection of local cheeses, dips and spreads, served with house-made sourdough and crisps.

Mixologist Landon Pallian takes the same approach to cocktails. Favorites include the Blood Moon: blood orange, blackberry, chili, hibiscus, damiana-infused Reposado, egg white, maple and lime; the Icarus: herb-infused gin, creme de violet, pear, maple, lemon and key herbs juniper and basil; and the Tigress: mango, ceylon, pineapple, vanilla bourbon, house Maine wild blueberry jam, lime, cherry liquor, black tea and Madagascar vanilla bean.

“We approach all of our offerings through an herbalist lens. Our intention is to make food and drinks that lift your spirit, calm your nerves and aid digestion. We utilize many medicine-making techniques to add flavor and plant magic. Tinctures, syrups, oxymels and shrubs are preparations added to our menu items. This creates dynamic flavors that also support your body!”

Rosene, who is a foster parent to two young children, seeks to provide a space where people can be intentional about nature, food and well-being—a space, as she says, “for us to indulge in herbalism and introduce plants to our community in a delicious way.”

Once you visit, you’ll never settle for drivethru again.

theevergreenroom.com

This story appeared in the Spring 2023 issue.