Minty Lemongrass Oxymel (Without Vinegar)
Oxymels are an herbal extraction of an acid mixed with honey. Usually, when we think about extracting herbal properties with acids, we look to vinegars. But did you know that if you replace the vinegar with a citrus juice like lemon or lime, you still capture the herbal constituents and end up with a drier oxymel that is perfect for summer mocktails?
Our friend Amanda Crooke from the Center for Herbal Studies has kindly shared a simple recipe for a delicious citrus-based lemon-mint oxymel and a lemony, bubbly mocktail that is the perfect refreshing sipper on a hot summer day. We think these are the ideal recipes to get the summer party started!
Minty Lemongrass Oxymel (Without Vinegar) & Summer Mocktail Recipe
When my husband and I got married, we wanted to offer a full mocktail bar for our wedding guests. I love using oxymels for mocktails: the traditional syrup made from an acid and a sweetener (usually vinegar and honey) lends a complex flavor that up-levels any drink. They are also a yummy way to serve herbs to friends and family.
I was already making mocktails out of vinegar-based oxymels, but I wanted our mocktail bar to include options that tasted drier and less vinegary. I decided to experiment with citrus juices as the acid, and the results were delicious! Lemon and lime juice quickly became my favorite ingredient for summer mocktails.
Adaptogenic Moon Milk with Chaga & Ashwagandha
This adaptogenic moon milk recipe harnesses the benefits of ashwagandha root, chaga mushroom, and warming spices to invoke a sense of well-being. Ashwagandha and chaga have both earned a reputation for helping to quiet the mind and revitalize the bodies of those who find themselves overwhelmed or stretched thin. Welcome this tasty and functional beverage into your evening routine for better sleep and stress support. Take a deep breath, sip, and repeat.
Elderflower Cordial Made with Fresh or Dried Elderflowers
Elderflower season inspires us to make summer cordials. Dried elderflowers are ideal for making the best cordial for summer coolers and brunch cocktails!
Guide to Black Tea: Why Do Teas Taste So Different + Tips for Choosing the Best Teas
Camellia sinensis is one of a small number of botanicals on the planet that has altered the course of history. This single precious plant—from which black, green, and white teas, among others, are made—has, for better or worse, been responsible for both the making and the fall of empires. Although it is the mother plant of a variety of teas, its power in the global marketplace is particularly potent when its leaves are fully oxidized to make black teas. Black tea is the most popular type of tea in the world, including here in the States. In 2019, the Tea Association of the U.S.A. reported that people in the U.S. consumed over 3.8 billion gallons of Camellia sinensis-based teas, 84% of which was black tea. What is it about black tea that is so alluring?
How to Make Tulsi Sipping Vinegar + Spritzer and Shrub Cocktail Recipes
A friend called the other day and before I had a chance to finish with “Hello” she asked, “What was that vinegar drink you made last summer? The zingy one with basil and berries?” It was a shrub: a “zingy” drinking vinegar infused with fruit. Apparently, my friend had a craving because berry season is upon us. It was a good reminder—this is a perfect time to start infusing vinegars with herbs and fruit for both refreshing summer drinks and herbal formulations for later in the year. I love the allure of a jar full of drinking vinegar and the potential it represents for delicious, healthful sipping. Infuse berries and we’re also well on our way to a perfect shrub cocktail/mocktail season.
Tulsi Moon Milk Recipe
Find the full recipe + two other moon milk variations here: https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/3-…
If you’re longing for a restful slumber, you may want to add moon milk to your list of sleepy-time beverage options. This herbal drink has a lovely flavor that is perfectly complemented by the mellow sweetness of coconut. This beverage calls upon the stress-relieving properties of holy basil, also commonly called tulsi, and hops flowers. We hope you sip slowly and dream sweetly!
Clearing The Cognitive Cobwebs: Tips Improved Focus And Memory
Our daily actions have the ability to drain our brain power or enhance our mental prowess and vitality. It’s important to take a deep look at the choices we make to bring the changes we wish to see in our lives.
Foggy brain and fuzzy focus affect many of us from time to time and during certain phases of our lives. While many herbs do indeed have a long history of use and modern research to support mental clarity, first it’s important to take a deep look at what’s going on in your life that’s draining your brain power to truly enhance your mental prowess and vitality.
Calming Kava Rose Moon Milk
We love moon milk—the wonderfully warm creamy beverages that are recommended by Ayurvedic practitioners to calm fiery dosas and balance the body before bed. If you’re longing for a restful night’s sleep, check out this blog on moon milk and choose the one (or more) that’s right for you: adaptogenic moon milk to help you put away the stressors of the day, tulsi moon milk for immune system support, or calming kava rose moon milk to close the door on the outside world and turn toward peaceful self-reflection. These delicious recipes are perfect with either milk or a milk alternative. Sweet dreams!
3 Magic Moon Milk Recipes for Restful Sleep
If drinking warm milk before bed sounds like the kind of advice you might hear from your grandma—well, it turns out grandma knows best again! Drinking heated creamy beverages before bed has been practiced for centuries and has helped people all over the world drift off into a restful sleep. It is also commonly recommended by Ayurvedic practitioners to calm fiery doshas and to help balance the body before bed. Nowadays, these magical cups of comfort are often referred to as moon milks and incorporate herbs and spices to help assist the body in relaxation.
Here are three tasty ways to try moon milk for yourself. We hope they help you have the sweetest of dreams!
